


I Just Want To Feel Alive

by PencilMonkey



Category: Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Avengers (2012)
Genre: AU, Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, BAMF!Tony, Elf!Clint, Elf!Jarvis, Fairy!Pepper, Golem!Dummy, Gryphon!Peggy, Humor, I absolutely love Dummy, Kitsune!Natasha, Multi, Prince!Steve, Romance, Skinny!Steve, Violence, Werewolf!Bruce
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-11-22
Updated: 2014-01-11
Packaged: 2017-11-19 07:15:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 25,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/570629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PencilMonkey/pseuds/PencilMonkey
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve Rogers is a prince and Tony Stark is... something else entirely and so are the other Avengers. Tony kidnaps Steve. Hilarity and drama ensue. Fantasy AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Chap I

Locking the doors to his chambers located in the tallest tower of the castle, prince Steve Rogers was preparing himself for the night. The prince was a fragile little thing: He had health problems and a small and very thin body to boot. Every other kingdom had handsome, strong and chiseled princes. They were always the talk of Kings with princesses, who will marry who. The princesses, always the damsels in distress, with their long hair, perfect skin, beautiful eyes and lustrous lips. Alas, young Steve only had the personality of a prince: he was brave, loyal, courageous, fierce in his convictions, fearless and had strong morals. Princesses nowadays only like princes with big biceps and perfectly build abs that also had strong jaws. Every time his parents brought in a girl, they always thought he was boring, but weren't they boring also: when you ask what they wanted in a man, they always answer the same way "a knight in a shiny armor", they would say, "on a white horse." Our young prince will only sit there and listen to them talk about somebody that isn't him. He only cared about his appearance for health issues; he didn't need abs nor biceps or a chiseled jaw. He was a nice guy and he was a prince, for god sake's!

So, Prince Rogers was sitting by his window, staring at the beautiful cloudless night sky when he saw it. Some sort of black shadow crept through the kingdom's defences and flew right towards the castle. The thing blew blue flames onto the homes of the villagers, transforming it into a blue inferno. The silhouette of the thing was more distinguishable by the glow of the flames; it was a dragon a huge one by that, with wings that can create strong winds destroying the houses untouched by fire. Its scales would gleam a different shade of blue every time its body would twist and turn. The monstrosity stopped in the central plaza. It glanced at the statue of the king in the middle of the fountain. With a mighty roar, it turned on its four limbs and smashed it to pieces with its long spiky tail.

Steve was on the edge of his window seat, he couldn't believe his eyes. A dragon decided to demolish his kingdom! He looked at the entrance of the castle and saw a multitude of knights, some on horses, going towards the creature. Pointing their swords and yelling battle cries, Steve needed to be part of the action. He ran towards the exit, but when he opened the doors, Bucky, his personal knight guard stopped him.

"Sorry, prince Rogers, but you can't go out there. Way to dangerous for you", he said, "We can't afford to have you hurt or dead." he finished by locking the doors to Steve's room.

"Dammit!" the young man exclaimed. He could hear Bucky's metallic foot steps toward the stairs. Great, now he was stuck and he couldn't do a thing.

He returned to the window and watched as the knights struggled against the giant black beast. They were struggling alright, not even one could hurt it. They all got crushed or smashed with one of its limbs or barbecued by blue fire. Their horses were eaten like nuts tossed into the air. It was invincible.

Then, it raised its impressive head into air extending its long scaly neck. It closed its mouth hiding away the rows of razor sharp teeth. Everything was silent for a moment; every knight was standing still, waiting for the dragon's next move. The sound of burning wood was the only thing you could hear. The winged lizard turned its head left and right slowly. It was sniffing the air searching for something. Steve wondered what it was when he locked eyes with the dragon. Its eyes were dark with a kind of strange glint in them.

Suddenly, it reared on its back legs and extended its huge dark bat-like wings. It jumped into the air and took to the direction of the tallest tower. With a few flaps it was half way there. By the time he blinked, the dragon was at the bottom of the tower, it climbed with lightning speed, with fire escaping its gaping jaws. The thing and Steve's eyes didn't part the whole way. The prince was in deep trouble. He froze when the dragon reached his window. He gazed into its dark eyes. He could hear the dragon rumble and see its white teeth glinting. The moonlight was shining behind it and it made it look like it was only a dream. Steve was mesmerized, the dark horns on its head were smooth and it was almost scale less. Its muzzle had some small prickly whiskers and it had two tentacles-like ones beside each large oval nostrils and one long on its chin. By everything he saw, Steve always came back to the eyes. They were a very deep amber, almost brown if it wasn't for the fire in them. They hid great mysteries between them and he found himself curious and wanting to uncover them.

"PRINCE ROGERS!"

Steve jumped to the sounds of shouting. He realized he got closer to the dragon and the dragon had entered its head into the tower. Not only that, his hand was almost touching the beast. The prince backed away and drew away his hand. Its eyes turned mischievous somehow and it moved its head out and moved up a few pace. By the time the doors to his room opened, Prince Rogers was in the clutch of the dragon's large right hand. He was dragged out like a doll and he was into the night sky in a few heartbeats. The young man struggles for a bit before he finally passed out to the sound of whooshing winds.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I absolutely love writting Jarvis :)

When he woke up, Steve was laying in the middle of a huge four poster bed covered in red velvet. The whole room was covered in the crimson material with some gold flecks here and there. The room was lit by the golden glow of the fireplace making it warmer. Even the king and queen's quarters didn't have this much... Opulence. The young prince got up and surveyed the room, it was clean and well maintained, not a single speck of dust in the air. The windows had bars to insure he didn't escape. There goes his plan. He let out a long sigh.

"Ah, the young master is finally awake," a voice with a foreign and quite aristocratic accent said.

Steve startled and turned to the direction of the source. An old man was standing straight in front of the huge wooden door and fixed him with a steely gaze of incredible patience.

"You should find the clothes I have picked for you on the bed," the man continued unfazed. "They should fit you quite nicely. After, you should go down stairs and eat a bit before you go and meet 'him' ".

The young man looked at himself and realized that he was in his night attires. He returned his eyes on the old man.

"And if I refuse?" he asked with all the courage he could muster.

The old man raised an eyebrow, "You cannot", he simply returned. He bowed his head and said, "My name is Edwin Jarvis, you should called me Jarvis. I am at your service during your stay at my master's domain," he finally turned on his feet and closed the door behind him.

When he heard the click of the lock, Steve's shoulders sagged a bit. He didn't know how long he was going to stay here. He didn't even know if he was going to live that long. Maybe that is why he had to eat before he had to meet with the dragon; so he would have more than just skin and bones. So the dragon was male and had a butler, great. Maybe if he was lucky, the beast only kidnapped him to make him the new butler, maybe this Jarvis was a prince before. Who was he kidding, he was going to die. Steve decided to look at the clothes given to him. They were quite simple: a pair of blue trousers, a white long-sleeved shirt and a pair of leather boots. All of these looked quite old and well worn. He put them on and went outside, he was going to face the danger bravely and die in dignity.

The stairs went down in a spiral and the walls were made of stone, the standard castle tower designs. He reached the bottom and he faced a very long corridor lit by torches. There was a lot of doors on each walls and they were all locked. He finally arrived at the end and the room looked like a kitchen. It was very spacious and gears were everywhere, turning and making mechanical noises all around the place. Some pipes let out hot steam and some leaked a bit. Steve was standing in the doorway, fascinated by the view. In the middle of it all, was an island with a few chairs. There was toast and a few assortments of spreads. He seated himself and ate a few toasts with strawberry jam and drank orange juice.

"If the young master has finished," Jarvis said out of a passage that wasn't there before, "he should follow me."

Steve got up, cleaned the crumbs from his clothes and followed him. He kept the fear from showing during the whole way. The tunnel was very small and narrow and it was only lit by what seemed like a mechanical torchlight held by the man in front of him. Jarvis opened the door that looked like the backside of a huge painting and on closer inspection, it was just that: a painting. The butler gestured to Steve to sit on what looked like a throne chair. He sat down and couldn't take the awe out of his face. It was an actual throne room. It was enormous! With golden pillars and kingdom insignias. The symbol seems to be the head of a dragon. The halls were filled and filled with a countless amount of treasures: gold coins, gold cups, golden jewelleries, precious gems, etc. The young prince had never seen so much wealth in his whole life, and he was royalty, for crying out loud!

And sleeping in the middle of the enormous pile was the dragon. His dark scales glisten in the middle of all this gold. It looked like a small sleeping cat in a gigantic treasure chest. He turned and exposed his belly. Right where his heart should be was a blue luminous orb. The orb imitated a weird essence, like some kind of magic. The riches surrounding it was nothing compared to the glow of it. The dragon let out a rumbling growl and opened his eyes slowly. He rose slowly and marched to the prince. Each step made the coins clink and the pillars tremble. It was a sight to behold, he was majestic and regal. The dragon stopped in front of the throne and lied on his stomach and crossed his front legs. He looked right into Steve's eyes and waited. The young prince rose to his feet, clenched his fist and puffed his chest. The dragon let out a rumble that sounded like a laugh, what?!

" I am Prince Steve, son of king Rogers!" he said. His voice echoed out through the room. The dragon only looked more amused, "I am not afraid of you!" the dragon just stared at him rumbled even louder, he was definitively being laughed at, "Beside, aren't dragons supposed to kidnap princesses only?" To that, the dragon growled. Steve had managed to make him mad! He was going to have a quick and painful death. He closed his eyes and prepared for the blow.

"Whoa, whoa! I wasn't going to kidnap nobody, I was just going to take a nap but Jarvis over there said I was sexist," the dragon said, in a surprisingly human voice.

"Sir, you have ever only kidnap females," said the butler, without any trace of emotions.

"That doesn't make me a sexist!" the dragon roared and the whole room trembled from the echo, "After all those centuries of servitude and all of the crazy surprises, you still think I'm sexist?" said the dragon, a little defeated. He sank down into the pile of gold.

This was crazy. The dragon was having a quarrel with his butler?! And did he say centuries? What the hell, the man looked no more than 60, less than 70.

"Wait, so you kidnap me just so you could prove a point to Jarvis?" Steve was a bit stunned, "Why did you burn dozens of houses and killed hundreds of soldiers?"

"That," the dragon started, pointing a clawed finger at Steve, "was for dramatics. I had to get in with a bang!"

"Whenever were you discreet, master," said the butler with an eye roll.

"Hey, sneaky's my middle name!" said the overgrown lizard.

"So you are not going to eat me?" Steve asked carefully.

"Blerg," the dragon poked out his slithered tongue, "I don't like the taste of human flesh."

"Can you just set me free?"

"Set you free?" the dragon frowned, "HA! Not when the fun is about to begin."

The fun? What did he mean by that? What is he going to do to him? Did he mean fun, like in, torture fun? Steve must have looked really stressed because the dragon looked at him with some kind of... Concern?

"Relax, kid. I'm not going to hurt you," the beast assured him," I'm not a monster, y'know. Anyway, Jarvis here will take care of you and all that jazz."

And with a flick of his tail, all the lights were off and everything was plunged in darkness. The man next to him opened the mechanical light and went to the secret entrance, not turning around knowing that Steve will follow him. They were walking in silence until they reached the kitchen.

"So... You are a few centuries old?" Steve tried to start conversation.

"Yes, young master Rogers," the old man told him," In fact, I am not actually 'human'." Jarvis started cleaning the island and putting away the food.

The said prince looked harder at the man. He had the physic of a human. He thought back about what he read about myths, legends and mystical creature. From what he remembers, the so called 'Eternals' were the beings that didn't exist anymore, except for dragons. They continued to terrorize kingdoms across the globe. In every culture, dragons came in different forms, but from what he had read or heard from valiant knights, they were all brutes and whenever you reach their domains, there laid great riches. Many of them have come out victorious, with the horns as trophies or sometimes skulls.

Back to the 'Eternals', like the name said, they were creatures that lived for eternity: Mystical beings that lived as long as time itself. Beings like fairies, Druids and elves. Steve never believed in these, always thought they were stories to put children to sleep or to scare them out of the streets at night. But the more he thought about it, the more he might think they were real. They might have just gone into hiding, because in each stories, humans chase them away like they were a plague.

Suddenly, the air around them started to change. It became thicker and when he looked at Jarvis, he was tilting like he was going to flip. Then, as suddenly as it came, it went away.

"Master Rogers?" the butler asked with worry.

Steve's eyebrows were in his hairline. Jarvis didn't look so human anymore: He had pointy ears, his hair was a shiny white instead of a dull grey, his eyes were more feline like and his features were smoother. We could still see he was old, but he looked definitively wiser. He was an elf.

"I am indeed an elf, sir," Jarvis said. Apparently, Steve has said it out loud. The old elf stared at him with a questioning look, then, it turned soft, "Ah, you did not believe before. Nowadays, if you want to see the Eternals, you have to believe in Eternals. It became easier for us to live in your society by hiding our true natures. Only from the naive eyes of children can we reveal ourselves as we are. The majority of us are in hiding, but some live amongst the humans for a better lifestyle, I suppose."

" So..." Steve started, "Are fairies real, too?"

The old elf chuckled, "of course they do! How do you suppose we get fairy dust? Or how do we keep the bees tamed?"

"Oh, how about… Unicorns?" Steve found himself asking.

The elf sobered a bit, "Yes they do to, but I don't know why they are so special. We have stables full of them! They are only for show. They aren't as special and endangered as you humans think. If you think about noble steeds and very useful ones, you should go for a gryphon. A bit more difficult to tame but much more powerful... And loyal to no end." he added the last bit when he saw the young man's face.

Steve's face had lit up at the mention of gryphons. Ever since he was a little boy he has dreamed of owning one. The stories said they would only turn to the bravest and most good hearted of warriors. Soaring the skies on the back of these creatures would be truly something else. Now knowing they really exist, it only fueled the fire inside.

"Say, Jarvis, has a dragon ever been tamed?" Steve tentatively asked.

The said elf's face darkened, "Dragons are not to be ridden like horses or kept as pets like dogs," he said, " They are older than the human civilization, even older than the elves'. They are to be respected like be beings they are."

To that, they went into silence. For the whole day, Steve helped Jarvis clean the house the best he could and get acquainted with the mechanics of the castle. He learned more about the history of the butler's people and about the Eternals in general. He ate the best food he had ever eaten and by the end of the day he was exhausted. He returned to the chambers he woke up, showered and settled himself for the night. This kidnapping business wasn't that bad. He had much more happening here then he had in all of his nineteen years back home. Jarvis came to check on him before he dozed off.

"Everything alright, sir?" the elven butler asked.

"You can call me Steve, Jarvis," said the prince, " Hey, how should I call 'him'" , he had totally forgotten about the dragon he was so busy with his tasks.

"You should address him as lord Anthony Stark, unless he says otherwise. Tomorrow, I should bring you to him if he asked for your presence. If that is not the matter, you should explore more of the castle tomorrow, my master as a very large library you should like. Goodnight, Sir Steve."

"Goodnight, Jarvis. Thanks for everything," he fell into a deep sleep after that. Tomorrow should be a very promising day.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just so you know, the guy isn't Thor.

This was so humiliating. How did he get this low, nothing can get any worse than this, not even being kidnap by a dragon came this close.

His day didn't start bad, though.

\--

Steve spent the whole day exploring the castle. It had plenty of guess rooms and a lot of floors. He met a few of the lord's 'pets', also. They were little cute golems that did the cleaning and the cooking. His favorite was Dummy, that clumsy little thing. It looked like a cross between a golden retriever and a sparrow. Jarvis told him it was the dragon's first successful creation. The young prince spent the day with Dummy as company.

The walls to the entire building had vines climbing up to the ceilings. It went on into every room, it was quite beautiful actually. The butler said if you touched the plant, he would know where you are and if you called him while touching it, he will come to you. It came very handy at times.

Before he was called, Steve was reading about the history of elves with a hand on Dummy's head. The golem had opened its mouth and Jarvis' voice came out, startling him a lot.

"Lord Stark is asking for you. You shall take the same passage as last time." it said.

Dummy closed its mouth, stared into oblivion then came back to itself. The young man left the library and stopped.

"Dummy, can you take me to the kitchen?" he asked the golem, he didn't want to get lost and upset the giant lizard.

It barked and started walking in front of him. He got there within minutes and the black dragon was lying on his stomach. He had a toothy smile plastered to his face.

"You asked for me, lord Stark?" he asked the grinning dragon.

The said lord lost a bit of that smile, "Kid, you gotta lose the 'lord Stark'. That is my father and I'm not that old," he sneered," Just call me Tony."

"Okay... Tony. Why did you call me? Have you decided to let me go?" the young prince asked tentatively.

Tony roared a laugh, "Even better!" He got to his feet, turned around and faced the entrance which was open. The sun was blinding and nothing could be seen outside.

Until, he heard it. Those damn noise, the sound that would hunt him until the end of his royal days. Tony turned his head to him, grinning.

"This is going to be so much fun."

\--

"Fowl beast, I demand you release the princess" a knight in a shiny armor commanded to the dragon.

Great, he was being rescued by princes in shiny armors. He was also riding a white horse. The man took of his silver helmet and let down his flowy golden locks. The rescuer didn't even know he was a prince also. This was torture, worse than death itself. Tony was laughing so hard the entire hall was quaking; he was rolling in the pile of gold making the coins fly everywhere.

"Oh mighty Draconis, he thinks you are a princess!" Tony whispered and laughed even louder when the knight drew his sword.

"Ô creature from hell," the shiny prince started," I shall slay you, bathe in your blood, run away with the girl and take your gold. I must say, you are not the first dragon I have killed. See the spheres adorning on the pommel of my sword!"

Tony stopped laughing. The mood had changed completely. It got heavier and it felt like a storm was coming. Steve was trembling; he did not want to be the other prince right now. He sank down in his seat even further. The heir snatching dragon walked to the soon to be cinder rescuer. Tony looked even more impressive from the back, his wings were closed on his side and he had spikes all along his spine. The way he walked looked like a cat on a fence. On every pillars he passed, the flames on the torches turned blue giving a more ghastly feature to the hall.

"Ah yes, I see those tiny little orbs and how many do you have? Three? Four?" Tony growled.

Bless the shiny man, he didn't even flinch, "I have killed six of your brothers! And you should be the seventh, you black devil!" with that, he charged at the terror in front of him, the hooves of his white mount making metallic clinking noises.

Tony stopped in his tracks, "Ah, I see you brought me dinner," Tony jumped in the air, extending his wings and charged at the courageous knight. The action had frightened the horse and it got on its back leg violently making the knight fall. The dragon snatch the horse with his mouth, threw it in the air and gulped it whole.

"Trixie!" the knight exclaimed, "You shall pay!" and ran towards his target.

Tony cackled, "You should had never told me you killed others, I would had let you live. With a few scratches anyway."

The knight threw his sword at him. It hit him next to his left eye, but sideways and got lost on the pile of treasures.

"Ow!" Tony exclaimed, rubbing his eye, "that almost hurt!" he got up on his hind legs, "Now, my turn," and spit indigo fire on the man.

He hid behind his shield in time, but the dragon's flames enveloped his whole being. The knight screamed in agony. When the flame dissipated, Steve was surprised. The knight was still standing and he looked unhurt, but he kept screaming and his eyes didn't have that fire anymore. Tony, with a flick of his tail, threw the valiant knight out of the castle. He walked back to Steve like nothing happened.

"Welp, that could have gone better," the dragon said and all Steve could do was laugh nervously, "Jarvis, take the sword and melt it. Give the orbs to their respective families.

Jarvis who was standing next to Steve's right nodded, "Very well, sir," the sword floated back to him, "How about young master Steve, sir?"

Steve stood up and wanted to say something, but his world started to shake. He began to feel nauseated and he was sweating. The old elf asked him a question but he couldn't hear it. He looked up and saw the dragon's searching eyes. Of all the time his health could have cause him trouble, this could've been a better time. Before he blacked out, all he could see were those precious ambers looking through him.


	4. Chapter 4

Steve woke up in the chambers; Dummy was licking at his fingers. It barked when it saw him woken up. He groaned and sat up. He tried to remember what has happened. Damn it, he had black out again. He didn't feel feverish anymore; he reached for a vine on one of the post of the bed.

"Master Steve is finally awake," Jarvis' voice came from one of the flowers, "You got us all worried, Lord Tony included."

A dragon worrying about his kidnappee's health, huh. That was a new one. He went to the bathroom, cleaned himself a bit and changed clothes.

"You can tell him I am feeling much better," Steve said to thin air.

"You can go and tell him yourself, master Steve," returned a flower," He asked for you when you wake up."

Steve sighed and left for the throne room. He took a toast and directed himself to the secret passage way. When he entered the room, it was lit in all its golden glory and Tony was waiting in front of the chair.

" Jarvis said-"

"Here, drink this," Tony interrupted him and a golden cup floated to him.

Steve took the cup and looked inside. It was full with a red liquid that smelled of flowers. If it didn't come from a dragon or in a floating golden cup, he would have just drunk it without question.

"Uhh...", he intelligently said.

"Just drink it." the kidnapping dragon said.

He tentatively drank it and he couldn't stop until the cup was empty. It was way too delicious and it made him feel all warm inside. What was that?

Like he was reading his mind, "It is an old elven remedy," Tony answered," It can cure the most consuming of elven disease, well; the only elven disease and can cure every human disease in existence. You can call it a cure-all. It also revitalizes the mind. You should have no more health problems and should feel better than ever," he finished with a smile and a lazy flick of his tail.

"Uh, thanks?" Steve dumbly said. He felt very good, he took the deepest breath he ever had and exhale loudly, "Why did you do this?" he asked, "It's not like a dragon to come in aid to a mere mortal."

Tony lost his smile and stared at the prince. They stayed in silence for a while until Tony got up and walked away, "You should go to Jarvis. He will tell you what to do. You are going to stay here a while and a sickly prince isn't beneficial for anybody," once again they were plunged in darkness.

Steve felt like he had hurt the flying reptile's feeling. He was more surprise of the way he felt about it. Why did he want to apologize? A light came up startling him out of his thoughts. Jarvis was walking away and Steve left with him. Man, was he sneaky!

"You should not be so quick to judge the master," he said when they reached the stairs to Steve's room, "He might surprise you and forever change your opinion on dragons," he added and left him to his doings, "Tomorrow you should aid me in my numerous tasks and wait for the lord's orders," he left and Steve was once again left alone.

Oh boy, did Tony already change him in a lot of ways.

He didn't feel sleepy, so he decided to go back to the library. His last book was still in place and the room was now lit by floating candle lights. He sat at the same spot and a few minutes went and Dummy came and slept under the same arm.

\--

"Oh great fairy Queen, he did it again. Argh! Tony, how could you! Damn it, that giant scaly flamethrower never listens," a feminine voice said.

Steve woke up and realized he was still in the library. He must have fallen asleep while reading about the Great Elven War V between the forest elves and mountain elves. It's not that it was boring; it's just that the forest and mountain elves were always at war. He got up and stretched his body.

"Sorry to have awaken you," that same feminine voice said. She was a petite woman with intense blue eyes and fiery red hair. She also had pointy little ears, must be an elf, he thought. She was smiling kindly at him.

"S'no problem," Steve slurred. He extended his hand and smiled back, "prince Steve Rogers," he introduced himself. She looked at him curiously and shook his hand. He intended to kiss it, but that will do. She had quite a grip for her small stature.

"Virginia Potts," she said," but everybody calls me Pepper."

"Well you can call me Steve," he said, still smiling.

They shared an awkward pause until Jarvis' voice came out of Dummy.

"Miss Potts," it said," You should go and talk to Lord Tony. He seemed to be quite in a mood today."

Pepper sighed and threw her hands in the air as a sign of great exasperation, "Him and his dramatics," she said, "Okay, well it was nice to meet you, Steve. But I got to run," she went away in a big flash of light.

"And you, sir Steve, shall aid me in the stables today," The voice said to the young prince. Dummy closed its gaping mouth and came back to itself with a lolling tongue.

"Come on, boy," Steve prompt the little golem," Show me to the stables."

Dummy barked and ran without looking back. Steve ran after it. He laughed the whole way. He never felt this alive! He was always surviving, now he was truly living. They reached outside and he saw how the sun was bright and the sky was clear, a perfectly beautiful day. He thought about running away, going back home, but he didn't want to have an angry overgrown lizard on his back. If he admitted to himself, he might be enjoying his stay here. He walked the rest to the stables and found Jarvis there. He was brushing the fur of a beautiful black...

"Unicorn!" Steve exclaimed," Wow, in our stories, they came in only white."

Jarvis chuckled, "Yes, in the children's book they are depicted as creatures of naïveté and purity. But, what they truly are only goat/horse hybrids with a single magical horn. Really, nothing exciting about them."

"So, what am I to do today, Jarvis?" the young man ask.

"You are here to feed them, young sir," the old elven butler said, " like in the stories, they respond better to younger more naive minds and since you are new to this, you will do better than an old elf."

Steve wasn't sure about that, he knew how to take care of horses, but he knew almost nothing about unicorns. He did know they liked children, especially little girls, but he wasn't that young and he sure wasn't a girl, hence the prince title. He thought about giving a go anyway.

" Okay," he said," What should I do?"

"You should start by taking the hay with the pitch fork and put it in their individual baskets. It shouldn't pass the border of the basket," the elf instructed him," I shall remain outside and watch over you. After, if you feel like it you can pet them or go back to your quarters. Be careful, they can be quite skittish."

Awesome, manual labor. He wasn't able to do them before, but this is a good start. The reward was petting a mystical beast, how cool was that! He picked up the pitchfork and got to work.

He went into the stables and gaped a bit. There were 3, not including the one outside, unicorns of different colors and markings. One was a brownish red with a black horn; one had the shortest horn and was a beautiful blond with black stains-like markings. The last one was the most impressive, it was a fiery red and its mane and hooves were golden. The horn on its head was long and ivory white. Upon him entering the stables, they all turned their heads to him. They all had dark brown eyes, except for the one outside; it had icy blue almost white irises. They looked at him curiously, analyzing him.

"Um, hey guys," he said to them cautiously," I'm here to feed you." He raised the pitchfork and the golden mane one neighed.

"My, isn't he a shy one!" it said.

"Now, now little one," the blond one cooed," Aren't you cute!"

"Look at his eyes!" the brown one exclaimed, "What a beautiful shade of blue!"

Steve was stunned. These unicorns were frightening in an all different way. They all sounded like old ladies and they looked at him with approving eyes. The horns on each mares were glowing very suspiciously. The brown one's let out some kind of sparkly smoke that went to Steve. It transformed into a hand and pinched his right cheek. What the hell just happened?

Jarvis cleared his throat, "Ladies, give him some air. You might scare him away." he said.

They all neighed and talked at the same time.

"Aw, don't be afraid, c'mere kid. We won't bite ya."

"Jarvis, you are just jealous!"

"Hehe! Jarvis, you know we won't hurt him. Just look at him!"

Okay. Steve was really, really out of his depth. He just kept staring straight in front of him and standing straight, barely breathing.

"Ladies!" The old elf exclaimed, his face remaining emotionless, "Prince Steve is only here to feed you. Afterwards, you may ask him some questions." they were all silent at the mention of his title.

"Aw, and I thought he was here to stay," the blond one complained.

Steve frowned a bit and thought about the other prince. He didn't want to be rescued anytime soon. Besides, who is going to miss his presence? His parents? Please, they wanted a princess and all they got was a sickly prince. He was better off here. He started picking the hay violently and throwing it in the red ones basket. It was her turn to frown.

"Oh, we didn't mean to upset you, my liege," she said," It's just sooner or later, someone will come and whisk you away." she ended with a sort of... Pout?

"Tell you what," the brown one said cheerfully," fire your questions away! We won't get mad, okay girls?" all the others neighed happily and nodded vigorously.

Steve felt his anger melt away. He couldn't stay mad for long. They were charming and they thought he was sweet. "Do you have names?"

They laughed and presented themselves:

"Geraldine, my dear." said the brown one.

"I'm Loretta!" continued the blond one.

"And I'm Maria." finished the fiery one, proudly.

"Hi, and you ladies can call me Steve," he bowed and they giggled happily.

"Hello Steve!" they said in unison and he blushed. He continued to add hay, "So how do you girls know Stark?" he asked.

The blond one snorted, "Tony? Well, if you must know. We were gifts to him when his mother was..." and she left it at that knowing Steve knew what she wanted to say. He knew. She was slayed by one of the knights and she would probably be put on display from the victor. "He was the cutest black little dragon in the world! He used to run with us when he was the size of a young fowl. We used to belong to his mother you see. We even witness when he hatched." she had a nostalgic look in her dark eyes." Except for Maria, she came into Tony's life after her death, hence her name."

"Shame, "Geraldine started," She was such a beautiful ruler. Her scales were ivory white and her eyes were a dark amber. She died trying to protect her kingdom and young master Tony." She looked sad and so were the others. "That little runt had run into the human kingdom below and got himself captured. She went into a frenzy and burned it to the ground.

"She didn't see the one hiding by Tony's cage and got stabbed next to her orb. She was able to kill man, but the bleeding didn't stop. The sword must have been forged in dragon blood.

"She opened the cage with the last of her strength and young Tony witnessed the death of his mother, his hero. Worst, they never found her orb. It was snatched from her core."

There was a long and heavy silence that followed. Steve felt incredibly sick. Nobody should witness such a tragedy. He felt bad for Tony and ashamed of his people. Worst, he was nothing but a youngling when it happened.

"How old is Tony?" he asked the mares.

"He is almost 400 years of age, 392 to be precise," Jarvis answered instead.

Whoa. Tony was older than his father's kingdom! Amazing, Jarvis must be way older than that, knowing he served the dragon's great grandfather. After that, the mood became lighter and they got better acquainted. He learned that the jet black one outside was a stallion named John and he use to belong to the dragon's father. The history on his father was a bit touchy and it ended quickly. The young man and the elf left at sun down. They walked together in companionable silence until they reached the kitchen.

"I'm going to check on Tony, if that's okay," Steve said.

"Very well," the butler said and left to do...butler things.

The young man took the mechanical light and went to the painting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The male is named John because I gave him John Cleese's voice in my head ;D


	5. Chapter 5

When he emerged from the passageway, the lights were already on. Steve heard some shouting and he ran to see who it was.

Tony was sleeping on his back nonchalantly and he looked very annoyed if the grunting was giving any signs. A tiny light was fleeting around his head angrily.

"Tony! You shouldn't've done this," It scolded, "This is below you. I thought those days were over!"

"They were, Pep," the dragon replied," But Jarvis said I was sexist!"

Pepper. The fleeting light was the petite redhead that woke him up in the library. His first assumption was wrong, she was a fairy. She was TONY's fairy. He read in the books at the castle library that dragon's when they reach a certain age, they get assigned a fairy to guide them through whatever obstacle may pass their way.

By the way he was rolling around and whining, this must be a regular occurrence for them.

"Tony! You do not have to prove anything to Jarvis," Pepper continued," He already knows who you are."

"But Pep!" Tony let out a funny noise that sounded like a child when they couldn't get what they wanted. He grunted one last time and flopped on his stomach.

"Now you listen up, you get him back -" she said in a very disapproving voice.

"Oh no. Na-anh. No can do." The childish dragon interrupted.

"To his kingdom SAFE and SOUND! We do not want any trouble with the humans. Am I making myself clear, Antony Edward Stark?" She continued undithdered.

The dragon winced at the use of his full name. He looked clearly defeated and was about to respond when,

"If I may interrupt, miss." The young prince intervened, "I rather enjoy my stay here and I found no trouble in helping Jarvis out."

They looked at him, well he assumed Pepper also looked but couldn't know because she was just a floating light. Tony looked surprised by his presence. His eyes were wide and his mouth was opened. Steve felt incredibly awkward and fidgeted on his toes. Something shifted in Tony's eyes, something he couldn't read.

"Ha!" he pointed a finger at Steve, "He wants to stay! Pep, you don't want to make a future human king disappointed, don't you?" he looked at her with a look of triumph. She sighed and went to Steve. She reverted back to her human size but kept her wings tucked behind her back.

"Steve," the redhead started, "You are not safe here. You belong with your kind and they must be worried about you."

"Sorry, Pepper, but I wasn't the most famous of prince in any kingdoms. And my parents are better out without me. I was just a sick kid who locked himself in his tower. Tony kidnapping me was the highlight of my life!"

He finished his speech and took a deep breath. Pepper and Tony were staring at him with wide eyes. He saw pity in the eyes of Pepper and something unreadable in Tony's. The amber eyes were ever so fascinating.

"Okay," Pepper finally said," You can stay, but if you ever want to leave ask Tony to take you home." The said dragon grunted.

Home, huh. Here felt more like home than his kingdom. And he was only here for a few days.

He nodded and Pepper nodded back. She left in a flash of light and the two were finally alone. A silence fell between them; the flaming torches were the only thing you could here. They stared into each other's eyes, waiting for somebody to break the ice. Steve took a deep breath.

"Look, what happened yesterday. I didn't mean to insult you. I'm really grateful for what you did to me." He looked up into the dragon's eyes," Can we just start over?" He finished with a little smile.

Tony just looked at him. He said nothing, just fixed him. Then, he rumbled, "I can't start over." Steve felt his stomach drop," Do you know how much energy it takes to burn down half a village?"

Steve sighed out a laugh. He was back to joking, they were good. Tony yawned and rolled on his back.

"Look, man. Don't worry about it." he said, "It was nothing."

It was more than that to the prince. He gave him a second life. He could do whatever he wanted now. He can get stronger, he will be stronger. His health was no more his concern and he felt so alive! Steve didn't say that out loud. He just kept looking at Tony with a tight jaw and clenched fists.

"Man, listening to Pepper's nagging is tiring," Tony complained, "I think I'm gonna snooze a bit." He closed his eyes.

"Thank you," Steve blurted out, Tony opened his eyes, "for everything. Nobody showed me this much interest before." He looked at his feet to hide his blush.

He heard Tony get up and felt something warm on his chin. It was Tony's fingertip lifting his face." Hey, kid," he chuckled," it's not every day human royalty thanks you but hey, don't mention it."

Steve had frozen when he felt the finger, but it was so warm he leaned into it when it moved to his cheek. He raised a hand to touch it but it was gone before he could.

"Look," Tony said, "I'm really tired, so goodnight." He moved to the center of his treasure and plopped down on his stomach and rolled over, exposing his blue orb. With a flick of his tail, all the lights were out, except for the blue glow of Tony's precious sphere. The black dragon was magnificent lighted by the orb. His scales were gleaming green from the reflection of the gold and of the blue light.

"uh-hum," somebody was clearing heir throat next to Steve. He realized he was staring so he turned his head and saw Jarvis.

"Master Steve would that be all?" he said.

"Ye-es," the prince said. He opened the mechanical light and left with the old butler. "Goodnight Jarvis," he said when they reached the kitchen.

"Goodnight, sir," the butler bowed his head and Steve left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I based the Fairy Guide from a French comic book called "Ragnarok". It is deliciously funny ;)
> 
> If you guys go on FF.net to read the rest of the story, can you PLEASE leave some feedback on this website so I can find out how I did?


	6. Chapter 6

A few days had passed and then as lightning, two weeks had passed since his kidnapping. He had helped Jarvis with cleaning the house and lifting the heavy stuff. He went for a run with Dummy in the field in the morning just so he could feel the burn in his lungs and talked with the unicorns some more. Sometimes he would also go talk with Tony. He wasn't always there, out to do dragon stuff to quote Jarvis who quoted Tony. When he asked Pepper, she would roll her eyes and told him to not worry about it. However, when he was there, they would talk about all and nothing. It was just Steve trying to learn more about Tony and he would just babble none stop if prompted correctly. For example, the young prince asked about his creations and he wouldn't stop talking about the process of it. He couldn't understand all of it but he liked the sound of the dragon's voice.

He did not know how this... Attraction to the dragon came to be, but it was there. He did not know how to act upon it so he hid it away. He thought it was the same for Tony by the glow of his orb.

He learned from Tony that it was protecting the heart, something specific to only dragons. It was also the source of their power and magic. Taking it away would kill them instantly. Steve learned from the books that, yes, it was protecting the heart, but the heart was attached to the other side of the orb. Because of this fact, the orb reacted differently to its movements, making the dragon easy to read, only if you paid attention to the orb. Like if Tony was excited, the orb would glow intensely or if he was angry, it would darken and something would swirl violently in it. The orb grows with the dragon. Tony's was about the size of the prince's opened hand, he guessed, maybe a bit bigger. The fire the dragons breathe was the color of its orb.

Steve knew the dragon felt the same as he did, because every time he would come to the throne room, the orb would glow brightly. Tony tried to hide it, but Steve could see its reflection on the gold coins. It never failed to put a smile on his face.

So a few weeks passed and no prince had tried to rescue him, yet. He also met another inhabitant of the castle by accident.

\--

He was walking with Dummy one night. He was at the dungeon level, which by the way, wasn't scary at all. He learned later on that it was going to be turned into a cellar. Tony was quite fond of wine and a dungeon was pretty useless to him.

All the doors were opened, except for one. The moon light was streaming from the bars of the door. He heard some footsteps, claws clicking on the floor. He approached the door and it stopped. Then, the thing inside growled lowly. Steve did not know what made him do it, but he continued to get closer. The little golem was hiding behind his legs, whining. The growling became louder and more vicious. He looked through the bars of the wooden door and saw some hay in the corner of a damp dungeon cell. Then, out of the shadow, a big furry beast emerged. It was a werewolf. Another Eternal. It was probably ten feet tall, it had long muscular limbs, a long snout, long fangs and pointy ears. It was standing on two legs and snarling at the prince. Its eyes were glowing red. It was staring at Steve. He was afraid but he couldn't move. Dummy was pulling at his leg, but he couldn't budge. The golem barked and the werewolf roared and charged at Steve. The young man took a step backward just when its long arm reached between the bars. It pulled away quickly, the bars were burning it, they was probably made of silver. He got lucky this night. He walked away shaking and wondering why Tony had a werewolf in his dungeon.

The morning after, Steve walked into the kitchen yawning sleepily. The smell of coffee and toast was in the air making his stomach growl. He sat at the island and took a swig of his orange juice. At his first bite of toast, he noticed that someone else was sitting with him. The man next to him had black curly hair, tan skin and he wore a sample green shirt. He was drinking coffee and reading the newspaper through his glasses. He didn't seem to notice Steve, also.

"Uh," the prince oh so intelligently started, "good morning?"

The man looked at Steve and smiled, "Hi," he said, "I'm Bruce Banner, the resident doctor." He shook the prince's hand firmly. "I'm terribly sorry for last night. He isn't always this... Vicious. I can usually control Him. It's only during the full moon that He gets out." Bruce smiled shyly.

"Oh," Steve was confused for a bit. Then he realized he was talking about the werewolf, last night. So the resident doctor was a werewolf. That didn't surprise him one bit. "Nice to meet you. I'm Steve, by the way, the resident kidnappee."

The doctor sighed at that, "Really? Tony..." he shook his head, but the corner of his eyes were crinkled in amusement." You can always ask him to take you back, y'know."

It was the young man's turn to shake his head. "No, I don't want to go back and it's been two weeks now since the event. I rather like it here, way better than back there."

Bruce eyed him curiously." Wow, and nobody came for you, yet?"

Steve grimaced, "Yeah, once, but I really do not want for it to happen again." remembering what happened to the knight, he shivered.

The werewolf shrugged and took a sip of his coffee. "Hope Tony isn't giving you too much trouble. I got to go, I have a few things to take care of." He took one last sip of his coffee, smiled at Steve and left.

Bruce was really different from the beast last night. He was kind; he smiled a lot and spoke softly. Steve finished his breakfast and went for a run. After, he was going to read about lycanthropy if Jarvis doesn't have anything for him to do.

\--

Jarvis did have something for him to do after all. After his run, Jarvis has asked him to move crates and crates of wine out of the dungeon, because the remodeling elves came today. So they had to make space for them to move about and do their stuff. Steve spent hours with the help of some golems moving crates outside. He was sweating buckets, but he enjoyed the burn in his muscles. He also liked watching the golems helping him. They were all different, yet the same. They act differently, they all had wings, but they were of different sized and different animal mix. Seeing them push the crates was adorable.

Steve opened a few crates and discovered that Tony had wine of ten years up to a millennia! A few of them were covers in thick layers of dust and spider webs.

After he had finished and rest a bit in the sun, the old elf had asked him to do the laundry, because he had to give feedbacks to the workers. He went to the laundry room looked at the clothes in front of him. They were more clothes for more people than just for the four of them. It left him wondering who could be living here also. While soaking the clothes, he came upon woman underwear. Steve blushed furiously even though nobody was with him. They were black and made with lace. It didn't look like it belonged to Pepper, who wore forest colors and floral patterns. They had another female person living here. He came upon elven warrior clothes and thought another male elf lived here. He also found a few clothing with red and gold colors; he thought they were pretty obnoxious. He had guessed at least three more people were living at Tony's castle.

He went outside to hang them in the sun. Today, the sky was clear and it was quite windy. Better take advantage of it, the young man thought. Jarvis had come to help him a few minutes into the task.

"I heard you have met Doctor Bruce, sir," Jarvis started.

"Yeah, seemed like a nice guy," Steve said, "How does he know Tony?"

"They met when Master Tony was only 15, sir," Jarvis said, "When he was young, the wolf inside the doctor was uncontrollable. Master Bruce had hid himself in the forest, out of society. Master Tony, the little runt he was, went into the forest during a full moon. They stumbled upon each other and fought for the duration of the night. The morning after they came out laughing arm in arm, bruises everywhere. They were friends ever since."

Wow, Steve wished he had friends for this long. He knew Bucky for a few years now, but they didn't have the kind of friendship Tony and Bruce had.

Jarvis told him he was free for the day so he went to the library and started his research.

Lycanthropy was the name of the werewolf curse. During full moons, the cursed morphed into a creature part man, part wolf. They had the stature of a man, but the physic of a wolf. They also had enhanced senses and were Eternals. When they weren't turn into the beast, they could feel the wolf inside of them, like a second being living in them. There was two ways to become a werewolf.

The first was you were born this way. Both your parents were werewolves so you were born with the curse. They were able to learn how to control the wolf inside better and didn't have to transform on full moons. Some were high aristocratic families and some lived deep into forests, far away from society. When they weren't in their wolf form, some of their canine characteristics came through. They had pointier ears, fangs, golden eyes and claws.

The second way was to be bitten by one. You would turn into a werewolf if you were bitten by a pure blood. At first, the transformation would be extremely painful and the wolf couldn't be controlled. They could only transform during the full moon. Later on, if you have somehow made peace with the wolf, you could shift at will and the wolf would only come out on full moons. The bite of the bitten can't turn you into one of them. The bitten were frowned upon the pure bloods. They see them as lesser beings and they had plenty of wars.

To know the difference between a pure blood and a bitten when they had shift laid in the eyes. The pure bloods had yellow golden eyes and the bitten had blood red eyes.

Bruce was the latter type. He was bitten at a very young age; he must be used to the wolf by now. He did say he could control him usually. Bruce also looked human. He didn't have the traits of an elf or other kinds of Eternals. It left Steve wondering if any of Bruce's family was alive. Probably not, Bruce was around the age of Tony.

The young prince had also found the way to kill a werewolf. Like all shape-shifters, they had to be stabbed in the heart with something silver. Steve wasn't going to try that anytime soon. Bruce seemed like a nice fellow and he didn't want to betray Tony.

After reading all about lycanthropy, the young man got even more curious about the other inhabitant of the castle. What are they going to be? Is there another human like him here? Or maybe a wizard? Or a dwarf? Or maybe another shape-shifter?

He fell asleep reading about wizards that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God, I love Bruce. I remember when I saw his action shot for the first time; He looked so mean and angry, but he's just a big ball of fluff :D


	7. Chapter 7

A month had passed since his meeting with Dr. Banner. He didn't meet any other person in the castle and he had read most books about other Eternals. Steve didn't want to read much on dragons, he wanted to discover them by talking to Tony. The way he felt about the giant winged lizard became more pronounce every time he spent time with him. Nothing was boring when he was in the dragon's company.

For a whole week, princes wouldn't stop coming to his rescue. Steve was always embarrassed and would hide his face behind his hands. They would always mistake him for a princess. Tony would always laugh and make big theatrics to scare some away. Some were scared easily and others, the typical knight in shiny armor on white horses, would be more of a challenge. Those were Tony's favorite. He would listen to them call him names and tell him how they going to kill him. The dragon would always gulp the horse first then get "playful" on the rescuers.

Steve wished that they would just stop coming in or tell them he didn't want to be rescued. He must have muttered it out loud because the day after, they just stopped coming. When he asked Tony, he said they had more... Obstacles to go through, before coming here.

"Two more, actually," he said, "Two deadly acrobatic obstacles."

Steve was grateful and went to do whatever Jarvis asked him to do. The old elf gave him more difficult tasks by the week. He had to lift heavier stuff and repair weirder things. He always did the laundry and got to feed the unicorns on some days. When he asked Jarvis why he didn't use magic to do them he told him he didn't want to waste magic on simple chores. The young prince understood. Before he worked for the Stark, the butler was a warrior. He had fought in the Third Great Elven War. Steve decided to never get on the old elf's dark side. He still went for runs with Dummy every morning; they just got longer and longer.

He saw Bruce more often, they talked and shared a few laughs but Steve never asked him about the wolf. Jarvis had told him that the good doctor didn't like talking about the other guy that much and you shouldn't make him angry. He would transform spontaneously and that wasn't something you wanted. He learned that the shape-shifter baked to calm himself and boy was he the baker. His chocolate cupcakes were the best! Sometimes he got to bake with him and he would make flour fly everywhere, but it was all in good fun.

Steve did find another person that lived here. His name was Happy Hogan and he was Pepper's partner. He was another fairy and he was the chauffeur. He did not know why Tony needed a chauffeur but he didn't think further of it. He was a very nice man and Happy told him he could bring him back to his kingdom if Tony refuses. Steve had, of course, decline the offer, but thanked him anyway.

He explored more of the castle. It was gigantic! He wondered if he was ever going to finish finding new places to discover. He found an indoor swimming pool, a gym, a laboratory that surely belonged to Bruce, a greenhouse on the roof of the castle and he even found a second throne hall on the complete opposite from the one with Tony in it. It was identical except for the whole treasure pile. Jarvis had told him it was the actual throne room and the other was only the treasure room or the show room Tony liked to call it. Behind the closed doors of this throne room was a village. Tony's village, because he had built it from scratch and he had ruled over it ever since. The villagers consisted of elves, dwarves, witches, shape-shifters and other mystical beings. They were artisans, merchants, crafters, blacksmiths, everything a human kingdom had, but with magic involved and without actual humans.

Steve later learned that dragons ruled over kingdoms and had system like the humans. Making the heir the ruler of the next generation of villagers. They also had the ability to leave and start a new one, like Tony did. According to Jarvis, the Starks had the biggest empire in all the lands and Tony was going to be the king of these, but he refused. He defied his father's orders and left.

Tony's village was ever- growing and it was well hidden. It was up in the mountains, hidden in the big pine trees. Only the highest tower of Tony's castle was visible, where Steve's chambers were. Jarvis had promise to take Steve to the village the next time he had some errands to run. They were now sure that the young prince wouldn't break away they had even taken the bars off of his windows, turning them into vines instead. He wasn't fond of that idea much, but it felt less claustrophobic. They trusted him and he trusted them in return.

Steve had never felt this at ease around a group of people before. His title didn't matter and it was great. He never thought being kidnap would have brought him so much happiness.

He might have thought about his family back with the humans, but he never missed them. He was seen as weak and useless. He was never the talk of the town or even mention when speaking of grandeur. He was always too sick to do anything. They would lock him in his tower and he would be stuck with nobody to talk to. He had Bucky, but he was his knight guard and didn't have permission to enter his chambers.

The only perk was the view. Having the highest chambers in the castle gave the best view over the kingdom. He could see every building and the central plaza was always a cluster of villagers until dusk. The sunset and sunrise were his favorite time of day. The colors of the transition were always so magnificent; turning from blue to orange to a pinkish red then back to a midnight blue. On some holidays, the plaza would be lit by lanterns and cheerful music could be heard even from that high up. He always wanted to share the laughter with them and dance and sing. Alas, he never could.

The only thing he was able do was drawing. He could draw and paint almost anything. He understood the way colors work and how they could fit and blend together. He saw the beauty in the shapes and forms and he could see so much deeper than anybody could. He was good at it and he enjoyed the feeling after finishing a piece of art and the residue of the charcoal on his hands, sometimes the paint on his clothes or face. He loved it.

His parents didn't approve of this. If he was a princess, they might have. But he was a prince. His title meant strength, bravery, courage and valor. That was the definition for his parents, but in reality, for them, it meant being manly, having huge muscles, being able to woo woman with a smoldering look. In other words, a prince is supposed to be a pompous arrogant prick.

Once again, he felt grateful for Tony. The dragon set him free from the clutch of multiple stereotypes. The overgrown lizard had made his way into Steve's heart and he wouldn't leave anytime soon. Tony acted aloof and arrogant and carefree and childish, but he was so much more than this exterior( okay, the childish part was true). He was a genius, he had a way with words, he was so elegant and witty and so much more. Steve never thought he could feel this way towards a dragon, a mystical beast of all the things in the world to fall in love with, because that what it was: love.

Steve was finally happy and felt like he belonged. He never wanted to leave.


	8. Chapter 8

Steve woke up to the sounds of grunting. The sun was streaming from his windows through the vines, casting beautiful shadows on his furniture. He must have fallen asleep at the desk, last night, while drawing... Maria. He loved the red of her fur, so vibrant! He drew her in a lot of motion: trotting, running, rearing on her blacklegs.

He'd ask Jarvis for some art material and he found out that the castle had a whole room full of it! Apparently, Tony had an art phase in his 50s, who would have thought? Always so surprising. He wondered what other skills did the dragon had. He knew he could make golems, draw and terrorize the bravest of prince charmings. Tony was very good at snark and sarcasm, also. He was so smart; Steve thought he could learn everything just by reading the given book. Just watching those eyes come alive, lit by knowledge and hardship.

Wait... Why did he wake up, again?

Oh, yeah.

The grunting.

It seemed to come from outside. Steve stood up and stretched his back while walking to his window. He yawned and scratch his stomach, he wondered if he should have omelets or French toast this morning. The grunting got louder, the young man's eyes got wider; he could hear a distinct metallic sound with the grunting. Oh, oh no. Not again!

Steve ran the remaining steps to the closest window. He touched a vine and asked Jarvis to open it. The window flew open and he watched as an armored man climbed the tower. The sun was shining on his armor and the reflection went directly into Steve's eyes, irritating him even more. The climbing prince opened his helmet exposing a pearly white smile surrounded by a golden beard.

"Oh my sweet love," he said, jolly, "I have come to rescue you!" he continued a bit sing-songed.

Okay, Steve did not look frail anymore. He had finally grown a few inches tall and he had gain a LOT of weight (still not enough by normal standards). Tony had even started calling him pretty boy. It made him blush just by thinking about it. The rescuer must have mistaken it for something else, though.

"Oh, love of my life," the golden beard said. Steve choked on his saliva, "Do not be alarmed, I am finally here to take you away from the clutch of the black terror! Then, we should ride on my horse into the sunset!" the man declared, triumphly.

"Oh god..." Steve pulled his face down. Steve had to give it to him; he was the most creative, yet: Climbing the highest tower of a dragon's castle, without fear of falling. The man was mid-way there, the young prince could see the top of the trees from this high.

Prince Steve grabbed a vine, "Uh, Jarvis?" he said.

"Already on his way, young sir," a flower returned.

As he let out a sigh of relief (didn't that tell a little bit about him), Tony emerged from the trees. He was laughing very loudly, his amber eyes glinting with pure mischief. He climbed his tower the same way he climb Steve's, but much slower. He was clearly enjoying himself. The rescuer turned his head and scowled at the childish laughing winged lizard.

"VILE MONSTER!" he over exaggeratedly exclaimed," one hand let go and he grabbed his sword, "DIIIE!" boy, was he poetic.

Tony blew a well-aimed small blue fireball at his hand making him lose the grip of his sword. The shiny golden bearded man grunted in pain.

"NO!" he exclaimed, "Heartcalibur!"

How original.

The rescuer decided to not pay attention to Tony anymore and climbed faster. "Do not worry, my dear!" The dragon barked out a laugh, "I shall save you!" he was gaining in height very fast.

"Oh no, you won't!" Tony said between laughs. God was he childish. Steve smiled fondly at his giant scaly friend. Tony didn't even need to speed up, he could just extend his neck and grab the man's leg. Tony did just that but decided to play with him. He nipped the rescuer here and there. The man kicked the dragon a few times, but he didn't seem fazed.

Out of nowhere, an arrow flew right pass Steve's head from above. It went right into the golden bearded man's left eye. He screamed in extreme agony. Just a few seconds after, 3 small knives stabbed him in the forehead, chest and neck. He fell to his doom and they heard a thud. Tony and Steve looked up at the top of the tower: a male elf with a bow and a woman with striking emerald eyes were staring back at them. The brown haired elf grinned and pumped his fist.

"Score!" he yelled. He turned to the woman, held up his open hand and waited. She rolled her eyes and clapped it.

"Hey!" Tony yelled, "S'not fair! I was having fun" Steve looked at the dragon and he was pouting.

"Sorry, Hotshot," the elf yelled back, smiling, "You were taking too much time, right Tash?"

The woman just turned her head to Tony and smirked. She then did something that almost gave Steve a heart attack: she jumped from the top and dropped down. She gracefully grabbed a vine and swung herself into the young man's room, landing on her feet, her back to Steve. She walked (glided) to Steve's bed and sat down, crossing her legs. She looked at the staring prince and raised an eyebrow, like she dared him to comment on her appearance. He just blushed furiously and turned back to the window. Okay, Steve was never afraid of girls, but this, she was a woman, a level of gorgeous that is far beyond this realm. She had crimson red hair, a svelte silhouette and impossible emerald eyes. She could throw knives at breakneck speed and with amazing accuracy. Steve was afraid if he talked to her she might shoot lightning out of her eyes at him.

Steve stared outside at nothing in particular. Suddenly, from the trees, a hawk emerged with an arrow in its beck and knives in its talons. It flew up and perched itself on the elven warrior's arm. He grinned.

"Hey, thanks, Hawky,'" he said. He jumped and grabbed a vine, "You coming, blue breath?"

Tony scowled, "I'm good, bird brain," Tony shot back, "See you later, pretty boy." Tony took off to his treasure hall.

The elf shrugged, "Suit yourself, Stark," He swung into Steve's room and made himself comfortable on his bed next to...

"Uh..." The prince was at lost for words. The event flew right pass his head and he just didn't know what to say.

The elf whistled, "Is this the guy that we are supposed to protect?" he looked him from head to toe. "You are a bit out of shape, kid." The woman slapped him behind his head, "Ow!"

"I am Natasha Romanov and this is Clint Barton," Natasha presented themselves like it was the most boring thing in the world, "We were assigned by Tony to keep the..." she did a gesture with her hands.

"Royal pain in the ass," Clint supplemented. Natasha nodded in response.

"Yes, them away," she smile and revealed beautiful white teeth and a pair of fangs. "I have to say, we haven't had this much fun ever since the Invasion a century back."

Clint frowned, "You and I remember the Invasion differently." Hawky squawked in agreement.

"Anyway, Clint and I have been 'employed' by Tony for 150 years now. We patrol the castle ground and if needed, we protect him."

"Only you two?" Steve finally piped in.

"Yes," Clint answered," Why, you think we need back up? Psh! They got nothing on us! Nobody can beat the dynamic duo of Hawkeye and The Black Widow!" This time, it was the bird that rolled its eyes.

"Oh, no!" Steve waved his hands in front of him, "It's just the castle is HUGE!"

The elf scoffed, "It is absolutely nothing! And anyway, the vines protects the whole castle PLUS the kingdom's walls. Usually, nobody goes to war anymore, so it's pretty boring. Thanks, man. For bringing those poetic jerks here." he said, honestly, "And for staying here, also. You are actually the first to stay here voluntarily!"

Clint and Natasha were pretty awesome: The elf was very talkative and silly. He was moving a lot and he moved from next to Natasha and was now sprawled on the bed. From what he saw, Clint was a master archer and they must have fought in a lot of wars. The hawk must be his companion and Hawkeye must be his warrior name. Steve looked over at Natasha and she was staring back at him. Her ears weren't pointy and she seemed human, beside her hypnotic green eyes. He really did not know what she was.

"I am a Kitsune," she finally said to the staring prince who blushed in response.

"Ah- ah Kit suu nay?" the young prince repeated dumbly.

"Kitsune, we are demon foxes specializing in trickery" To prove her point she revealed part of her true self.

Her ears were now pointy and black at the tip. Her features were more felines now and out from behind her, she had three fluffy red fox tails. She grinned mischievously and her fangs were more prominent. Three blue flames were floating near her tails. It should have frightened Steve, but he just thought that she was more beautiful and it told him that she trusted him.

"I have three tails now. We, Kitsunes, get a tail every hundred years. It says if we attained a millennia or fur becomes golden or pure white," she flicked her tails, "the little flames are small spirits." One of them came and 'danced' around the prince's head making him laugh. "Trickery is what the demon fox do best, but I am also trained in combat. I am skilled in boxing, close-combat; fencing and I could kill anybody in numerous ways. I can throw knives of any size and never miss."

"Wow..." Steve was very impressed, "Can you, can you show me how to... Fight?" he really wanted to learn to defend himself. He was suddenly eager about training with Natasha; he wanted to be see her in her element.

"Pfft, show off," the archer said, "If you want to train, kid, it should be with me. Not the vixen over there. Hey! I was just kidding, jeez." He patted his head, putting down the fire a little flame had caused.

The said vixen glared at the warrior elf. He whimpered and thinned his lips, successfully shutting himself up. She turned her gazed to Steve, her eyes turning soft, "I would love to teach you some of my technics. Like Clint has stated: You really are out of shape. And you will also need to protect yourself in the future; we won't always be there to protect you.

"Clint can teach you how to wield a sword," Clint brightened up upon hearing of this suggestion, "Not only is he good at archery; he is a really good swordsman."

"Damn straight I am!" the elf exclaimed, "Man, I'm hungry...Let's go eat." he jumped off the bed, "C'mon, guys. Hey Jarvis! What's cooking?"

They walked amicably all the way to the kitchen, talking about everything and nothing. Bruce was already in the kitchen and smiled at them when they emerged from the hall. Natasha patted him on the arm and sat at the island; Clint nodded in response and sat across from the demon fox. Steve waved at him and sat next to the elf. Bruce was making spaghetti and it smelt delicious. Jarvis set the table and they all dug in. Clint down right moaned when he took his first bite. Hawky flapped a wing at his head.

"Hey, girl!" he complained, mouth full, "Not my fault Bruce is a damn good cook! I should kiss him to prove my point." He pointed a fork at the good doctor, pursing is lips.

Bruce just laughed shyly, "No thanks, I don't think He would like that, but thanks for the compliment."

"What's for dessert today?" Natasha asked.

"Pecan pie," the werewolf answered after finishing his bite.

Bruce's pecan pies were absolutely divine. The young prince hadn't tasted anything this good in his life. The crust was just so delicious and the pecans devilishly good. Steve drooled just by thinking about it. Clint wiped it off his chin.

"I second Steve's silent comment," the elven warrior said.

\--

They finished their plates, ate the pecan pie and left. Natasha and Clint left to their quarters and before Steve opened the secret passageway, Bruce grabbed his arm.

"Hey, can you help me carry this to Tony, please?" he politely asked. He waved to the giant oven, "There's a giant pecan pie just for him."

"Oh, sure," the prince agreed and Bruce, Jarvis and him transported the pie to Tony.

The dragon was sleeping on his back in the middle of his treasure pile, snoring quietly, for a giant dragon. Dummy was sleeping on his stomach; it raised its head and barked when it saw them, successfully waking Tony up.

"Wha?" he wiped imaginary drool off his jaw and looked around confused, "What the hell are you doing here, Dummy?" he batted the little golem away. It flew to the little group. Tony twisted his neck around to look at them. He sniffed very loudly and jumped to his feet. He flew over and stopped quickly, making huge gusts of wind. "Oh Draconis, Bruce you are the best!" he swooped the pie with one hand. He glared at the humanoids in front of him, hiding the pie behind his wing. "I ain't sharing! Dummy! Hey, I said no!" The little golem flew behind his back and successfully took a big bite out of the pie. "I'm going to singed your fur, you little brat!" Dummy flew back and hid itself behind Steve, whining a bit. Tony poked a slithered tongue at it. He sat down on his back legs and began eating like the civilized lizard he was. "Thanks, Brucey! Bye!" He waved a hand at Bruce and Jarvis as they left.

Steve walked to the throne chair while Dummy flew to eat the falling crumbs and occasional pecans.

"Draconis, that werewolf makes the best pecan pies," he told Steve between mouthfuls.

"Tell me about it," the prince agreed and sat down with a huff.

The night flew by while the two of them converse idly about everything and nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Clint is too fun to write ;D


	9. Chapter 9

Right after that particular encounter, the prince spent a lot more time at the gym. He trained vigorously with Natasha at hand to hand combat and practice at all sort of swordplay with Clint. With Natasha, it was consistency and he got the hang of the basics easily. With Clint, he was so unpredictable; Steve had so much difficulty at following his lead. All in all, it was so much fun.

After a month of intense training, Steve gained a good amount of muscle weight. Some of the clothes Tony lent to him didn't fit anymore. Of course, Tony had four whole rooms for closets. So many clothes just for six people seemed a bit excessive.

In his spare time, he still did some chores here and there. He drew and paint more often. He had three full sketchbooks of only Tony lounging around. The dragon naturally found out about his art sense. He started doing some intricate poses for the young prince saying "this is my good side" or "don't forget the shine in my eyes" or when he almost singed Steve's hair "Oh, fire makes me look hotter". The young man always drew him when he didn't pay much attention, when he was being his silly self.

Because of their new schedule, the dynamic duo didn't spend too much time outside, leaving the woods unguarded. A few came, but all left empty handed. Some finally saw Steve as he truly was: a prince. They had hilarious confusion looks on their faces and because they weren't sexist themselves, they fought to rescue him, but with a bit of doubt in their attacks and menaces. Tony was getting excessively bored with them, so he just closed his doors.

\--

Another month has passed and they finally let him into the village. He was able to roam around under Jarvis' surveillance and guidance. Young Steve walked around with bulging eyes and a gaping jaw. The buildings were so tall! Jarvis told him they were called flats: Each floor was living quarters; some big and some small, but they all had at least one bedroom, a living room and a bathroom. These buildings were all around the central market.

The busiest, noisiest place he had ever been to. Well, he had nothing to compare it to, not even his parents', but it must be if it was built in Tony's image. The blacksmiths hitting anvils, elven dames chatters, old witches cackles, salesmen shouting, children laughter, unicorn hooves on stone roads and some music in the background. It was so overwhelming; Steve almost ran all the way back to the castle, climbed back into his gigantic fluffy bed. The elven butler felt his distress, so he walked him to the true center of the kingdom: the fountain. It was surrounded by a beautiful circular park; the greenery gave a sense of peace to the prince. Jarvis told him he will pick him up when he finished his errands.

He lounged around and observed the small critters. The squirrels had golden fur and the chirping birds were really whistling. On some road paths, statues would stand tall on pedestals. They were white marble statues of the same man in different poses: he was well built, had short hair and a well-trimmed beard. Some would stand proudly with a sword pointed to the sky, some were standing casually, hands on his hips or arms crossed smirking on the people passing by. Steve thought he was quite beautiful and wondered who he was, but didn't think more of it.

The young man walked to the beautiful fountain; the marble was a breathtaking white in the sunlight. There were no bird release nor was a single stain on any surface and the water clear and gleaming with some coins.

Steve was mesmerized by the statue: it was a dragon protecting its youngling. The small one looked so vulnerable crouching behind his mother's right wing. The mother was so beautiful. She was all curves and the marble made her look like she was exactly that color. The stone making her eyes were a deep purple. She was standing tall and proud and ready to kill anybody who would approach the young one. He had figured out by now that it was Tony and his mother.

"Magnificent, isn't she," Jarvis was standing next to the young prince. He was staring at the statue with a faraway expression; he seemed lost in his memories. "She had such grace, such elegance... Lord Tony made it himself, he wanted the stone to be the exact same color as her scales and the purple stones were the color of her orb. Tony has the same eye color as his mother." the butler huffed, "Are you ready to leave, young sir."

Steve looked back at the statue. He wondered where the orb was taken and if Tony will ever find it, "Yeah, let's go home." they walked while Jarvis answered Steve's questions on Maria Stark.

\--

Upon entering the kitchen, all of their groceries were on the island, forming a big mountain of food. Woah...

"Lord Tony is hosting a ball, this evening," Jarvis answered Steve's silence, "there will be many guests and you, too, will be attending, young sir."

A ball! A whole night in a room filled with Eternals, this seemed VERY promising. And he will be there, too! Oh how very exciting! He suddenly had the urge to go see Tony, but he didn't want to leave Jarvis alone with the food.

"Go on, young sir," the butler answered for him, "I will ask someone else to help me." He snapped his fingers and Clint appeared out of thin air. He looked around and his eyes landed on an unimpressed older elf.

"Aw man, how did you know?" the elven warrior asked, grumpily.

"I am more experienced than you, Hawkeye," Jarvis said, "If you haven't noticed; the vines go up to the ceilings, even between the pipes in this room. Now, help me put these away."

The younger elf did as he was told, mumbling incoherently. Some amused chirping could be heard from above. Without looking at the source, Clint grunted in protest, "C'mere and help me out, will ya, Hawky?" She chirped in response, "What!? Stop laughing!" She did come down, but with a glint in her eyes. Natasha walked in on the elves and decided to help them out.

"Are Tasha and Clint going to be attending, too?" Steve asked.

"We have no choice, we are the security," Clint said while putting two huge bags of flour away, "If you haven't notice, Stark's a dragon and his head is pretty valuable. And his heart, and his blood and his... You get the gist of it." He picked up something from Hawky, "I get to hang out in the ceilings. While Tash has the grounds."

"How about Bruce?"

"Ah, I won't make it, sorry," Bruce said sheepishly. A few golems were following behind him, "Tonight's a full moon." He picked up an apple from a bag, threw it in the air a couple of times, "And before the moon comes out, I'll be helping in the kitchen."

"Oh, okay," The prince really wanted to have Bruce as company, he was a joy to be around. Steve, then, left reluctantly to see the dragon.

Upon reaching the ending, the young man could hear Pepper's voice. She was, once again, fleeting around a very annoyed Tony.

"Tony, promise me you won't do anything stupid," Pepper asked the inevitable, "We do not want a repeat from four years ago, don't we?"

The childish lizard grunted, "No... But if you don't want me to do anything 'stupid', why are you throwing a party?" he argued.

"Tony... YOU are throwing the event..." she sighed, "I know you don't like it, but we need to prove to them that we are independent."

Steve decided to make himself known, "You don't like balls?"

Tony looked at him and his eyes widen, "Oh Draconis, he is making those kicked dragonling eyes," he pulled down his face, "Please don't... They're really not a big deal," the dragon sighed, "They exist just to make windy old bags feel young. And I do not give a shell about what they think of me," he pouted.

"But..." Steve did NOT whine.

"Don't worry Steve," the fairy said, "It might be his castle and his ball, but he doesn't have a say in this, there will be one and YOU are going!" A very angry Pepper pointed a finger at Tony.

"NO!" the dragon roared. His amber eyes widen and he put a hand to his snout.

Pepper, always patient Pepper, was turning a very scary shade of red. She was actually glowing scarlet. Tony was backing away, trying to make his massive body as small as possible. The guide had reverted to her bigger size and was standing next to the prince. He could feel the heat coming from Pepper. Steve was very scared; he shared a good luck look with Tony and went to sit on the throne chair. She disappeared in a flash of light and reappeared on the tip of the black dragon's snout. Tony screamed his surprise. Steve thought if he was human; Tony would be sweating bullets. The dragon was mumbling incoherent apologies to a fiery redhead.

"Listen up, you sad excuse of a flamethrower," Pepper started, "If you don't go to the ball, I will..." She glanced at Steve and whispered something he couldn't here, but the overgrown lizard could. Tony's eyes widen even more and looked at the prince for a fleeting second and nodded. What was going on over there?

Pepper appeared next to Steve, smiling, "Okay, now that had been taken care of, Steve," the Prince jerked his head to look at her, "Your clothes has already been fitted and you will look great in them. Good afternoon." And she was gone.

Tony was still trying to regain his composure, coughing awkwardly along the way. Steve didn't look to give the dragon a sense of dignity. He walked slowly and plopped down in front of Steve, pouting and grumbling. The young man looked at him; he had his massive head in one of his hands. Tony huffed and looked at the prince.

"I really hate these kinds of parties..." Tony said. He rolled onto his back, wings expanding wide. He stretched his feline-like body, the orb glowed an ominous blue.

"What did Pepper say to you?" Steve blurted, his curiosity winning his inner turmoil.

Tony's gaze lingered on Steve's face. His eyes were swimming in an emotion that did funny things to the young man's stomach. Tony sighed and flicked his tail lazily, faking nonchalance, "Something about giving my treasure away. Don't worry about it, lovely." The endearment made Steve flush. Tony rumbled a laugh.

Steve knew deep down it was something bigger than that, but he didn't want to upset the dragon any more, "Will there be a lot of people?" Steve's excitement suddenly changed to nervousness; he never really attended something big. His parents always arranged one on one dates with other girls from different kingdoms. He had no experience whatsoever in big gatherings.

Tony rumbled again and his orb reverted back to a gentle blue, "Don't worry, kid," Tony assured him, "I know you're a natural! You were born with it in your blood! All royalties do!"

Steve didn't know much, "If you say so..." he reluctantly agreed.

"Now shoo," Tony waved his hand at him, "Go put on those fancy clothes and let me be."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys are now all caught up!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The ball has finally arrived!

Steve was standing in the middle of the soon-to-be-full Grand Hall. He was fidgeting in his fitted new clothes. The young man was wearing a navy blue velvet jacket with golden buttons. His trousers were ivory white and were covered by knee-high brand new black leather boots. He didn't feel like he was suffocating and uncomfortable, but felt like he was embraced in a lover's arms. He was flush all over and he was sweating a bit. He looked around him and tried to imagine this room full of artifacts to calm himself. It didn't work.

On the left wall, the buffet was getting prepped; golems were fussing all around Bruce. Tables upon tables full with mouth-watering food, a huge feast only meant for the royals. Steve had suggested his help, but Jarvis batted his hands from the trays and told him he would stain his well-tailored clothes. The crystal chandeliers were brilliant and ideal for hiding an agile elf. Here and there, he could hear a hawk screech in excitement. Steve kept staring at the ceiling, mouth agape. The chandeliers were floating and rotating slowly, the reflections were dancing on the marble pillars. The insignias were hanging proudly and waving like there was wind in the gigantic room. His eyes now wandered on the floor. He still marveled on how finely detailed the mosaic was: it was the image of a black dragon spitting blue flames bathing the whole floor in different shades and hues of blue.

The prince moved his eyes up and looked at the open doors. It was dark outside and nothing was truly visible. He could see from afar the skies were clear, tonight. He was so very nervous: will they accept him? Or will they make him an intruder in their safe haven? He was so afraid it might be the latter. In his world, the human world, they use to chase them and burn them alive, kill them for pleasure. The humans forced them into hiding. Steve was none of that, but he knew it was hard to change the mindset of stubborn people. Bruce came and stood next to him. He was getting antsy and was fidgeting visibly.

"I came to bid you a final good luck before the cavalry arrives," Bruce said. He was trying to control his breathing and he was clenching and unclenching his fists.

Steve's answering chuckle was tinge with nervousness, "Thanks, Bruce," he said. "I think I'll really need it."

The shifter jerked his head once and left. The young man was once again standing alone. Oh man, he was so nervous. He suddenly heard hooves clatter, the first guess were finally here!

"Ah yes, here comes the entertainers," Jarvis said.

Oh yes, Pepper had hired a few woodland creatures to keep the invited away from boredom. He heard some feminine laughter followed by little hoof noises. A few wood nymphs waltzed in with satires on their trails. The half goat men looked already drunk out of their tails with the way they ran and their red noses. Dionysus would be proud. The nymphs left trails of flowers everywhere they went and a sweetly aroma was feeling the air making the young man less nervous. He was smiling now; light sprites were flying around his head. One landed on his nose and he giggled. Was it how it felt to be drunk? He was warm all over and he couldn't stop laughing. His knees were getting weak and he was a bit dizzy. Suddenly as the feeling came, it left in a flash. Steve blinked a few times, emerald eyes were staring back at him. Natasha's little spirits were shooing the sprites away from him. She was wearing her usual battle gear.

"Careful Steve," she warned him. "These guys can smell a human a mile away and innocence even further." She looked at him disapprovingly. "Here, wear this, they won't bother you anymore." She put a golden crown on his head. "It is imbued with strong elven spells. Don't take it off." She then left the hall.

The young prince pouted; he did not like crowns. He thought they were pretentious and obnoxious. They attracted unwanted attention and they were so heavy with all sorts of gems. But he will make an exception for this one; it kept 'danger' away and it wasn't a huge monstrosity. It was gold, yes, but it forged with gorgeous wires intertwining together beautifully. It was subtle, elegant and practical. It was perfect.

The grand hall was livelier now, the golems had left and the satires were playing lyres, what beautiful melody they were playing. Muses had joined them with amazing harmony. The chandeliers were spinning slowly in time with the rhythm. The music was entertaining and soothing, nothing more than background sounds.

Pepper knew how to do this. Steve was really impressed.

Jarvis was surveying the whole room, finding to his taste and went to Steve, "The first guests should arrive any second now," he told the impatient prince.

True to his word, the first Eternals breach the threshold of the big doors. There were a lot of old elven socialites, dressed in great big ballroom gowns. They arrived with airs of high aristocracy, looking around with a kind of disdain only they could wear. Jarvis groaned, the young man was very surprised; the elven butler never showed this much annoyance, even with Tony. He went to the elven dames and greeted them.

"My, Edwin," one started. "Don't you look old," she comments.

"Yes, may I take your coats," Jarvis replied as cold as ice. Steve shivered.

They gave him their fur coats and moved to look around them. Their mouths were a constant moue, disliking everything they saw. Steve instantly did not like them. He decided to avoid them, but as he moved their eyes caught his. Their smiles turned predatory and pinned the prince in place. They glided to him and started to eye him up and down. They were nothing like the old unicorns he knew.

"Now this is interesting," one of them said, daring to touch the young man's arm and squeezing. Steve flinched which made him flex, making the old lady giggle, a screech to his ears. "Isn't he something..."

"You don't say," one of them answered, touching his shoulders. Oh god, Steve was so uncomfortable. They were touching and groping him and he did NOT like it one bit. He almost screamed for Hawkeye to save him or for just something to distract them. Jarvis was too busy greeting other guests, but when Steve pleaded him with his eyes, he returned a very apologizing one. More old socialites were gathering around him and he was ready to just burst and run back to his room to hide under his plush duvet.

Prince Steve heard Jarvis announce somebody that must be important, but he couldn't hear because of the old ladies cackles, chatter and giggles. He was drowning in a sea of groping hands.

Suddenly, a cold mist was forming around their legs. The mist was getting thicker and thicker. The young man couldn't see pass the first wave of old ladies. He was getting rather scared. Oh god, what if it was a bigger old lady?!

"Ladies, you should leave the human alone," a very deep male voice with a thick accent said. He growled and the bickering seized, so did the mist.

"We were just interested in his... Particular parts," an old elven dame dared say. The reply made the man yowl. They all flinched - Steve included - and scampered away. The young man was ever grateful for the voice.

The source of the voice was standing next to a beautiful woman. She was wearing a black crown and she wore a matching black dress. She was elegant and regal. Her hair was white as snow and so were her eyes. The man, himself, was something else. He was a shifter, a were-panther. He was covered in black fur from head to paw. His face was the one of a black panther and his eyes were yellow.

"This is T'Challa, king of Wakanda," Natasha was standing next to Steve and she wore an elegant dress which fitted all her curves perfectly. Steve had no doubt in his mind that she was hiding a few weapons underneath it, "and this is his wife queen Ororo Munroe. Your majesties, this is Prince Steve, son of king Rogers." She finished the presentations with a bow.

Queen Ororo was eyeing Steve from head to toe; analyzing him from the inside out. He knew what she was; she was a rainbow serpent, a Dhat-Badan. They were mythical creatures with control over the weather, helping peasants with their crops, good creatures with good intentions.

"This one is different," the queen said, her voice was deep and beautiful. "He is here voluntarily." King T'Challa growled in agreement.

"He has a better life here," Natasha responded for him. She was all seriousness and Steve felt secure.

The serpent and her husband hummed and the questioning was over, they didn't want to pry. They said their goodbyes and left for the old socialites. Young Steve was ever grateful for the presence of Natasha; she was like a bridge or a shield for him right now. After the were-panther and rainbow serpent, the demon fox would present the prince to a few well-known Eternals: Jessica Drew, Carol Danvers and Wanda Maximoff, the witch sisters who were bonded by pact. They were very kind and sort of intimidating. Hank McCoy, he was a mutant beorite. He was a mutant because his fur color was blue and he was somewhat being consumed by his inner bear little by little.

Beorites are Vikings who can transform into a bear at will. They are a very festive bunch and are like normal Vikings, in general. Mister McCoy was the representative of the mutants between the Eternals. He was a man of science and he was also very kind. Natasha warned Steve to not invite him or any Viking into sparring or drinking, because they will floor you.

Some considered the mutant gene to be a curse and others considered them a gift from the gods. One thing was for sure: anybody can carry the gene. It was impossible for a lineage to not have a mutant in their tree. It might be distant or a first generation, nobody was 'safe' from the mutation. Eternals and humans alike can be mutants.

Steve has nothing against them. They were people and he doesn't judge them from what they were, but for what they did.

The young man met two well-known fairies; Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne. They were like two opposite poles; Hank looked like he did not want to be there, Janet was eyeing the crowd and wouldn't stop asking about Tony, no matter how many times Steve said he didn't know. Hank was a bug herder and he gathered the bees for winter, examining their pattern during the process. Jan was his little helper and she kept the insects happy and secure.

/-/-/

The young prince had met so many he had loss count. They were all so different and lovely people. He couldn't talk with them for long; Natasha was so busy dragging him everywhere. Right now, Steve was standing in front of the buffet, taking a breath and gulping down homemade strawberry and kiwi juice. He looked to the ceiling and frowned; Hawky was being chased by a mockingbird and what looked like another bigger hawk. She was screeching but she didn't look in danger.

"Kate Bishop," a black haired elven woman was standing next to Steve. She was smirking at his wonder, "The bigger hawk is Arrow and the little squirt is Darwin, he belongs to Barbara Morse." they shook hands and went back to staring at the gigantic chandeliers. "I'm also Hawkeye; I took Clint's position after the Invasion. Hey, Tasha." Kate greeted Natasha with a nod and so did the demon fox. "I was just telling Steve how I'm better than Clint." Natasha smirked and an arrow landed next to Kate's left foot with a twang. "See? What did I tell ya?" They all laughed in good humor.

"Now now now, who is this young human prince?" Steve looked in front of him and his eyes went up, up, up: a centaur was looking straight at him with his one good eye. The humanoid part of him was bald and had dark skin. He wore a leather black coat that seemed at odd with his equine part. His other half was a muscular horse with black shiny fur. He exuded power and authority all over the place. Kate and Tasha were standing straighter and the humor in their faces was gone.

To the left of the centaur, a woman was staring at Steve with her blood red eyes. She was obviously a vampire. Her skin was so pale she was almost transparent. She wore a skin-tight leather suit only a woman of her stature could pull off. The centaur did a gesture with his hand and the women relaxed.

"This is Colonel Nick Fury and his second in command, Maria Hill," Natasha introduced them. "Sir, this is prince Steven Rogers."

"Oh, a Rogers!" Fury said, impassive. "Now, son, what makes you so special?" he stepped a little too close for Steve to feel comfortable. He tried to back away, but he hit the table instead.

"Sorry, sir," Tasha started. "But he is under my protection and I can't let you have him."

His good eye switch to the kitsune for a second and back at Steve, Fury narrowed his eye and backed away, "Tell Stark..." he stopped when the lights went out. Everybody was silent, not even a screech from above.

Suddenly, a great fire burst in front of the crowd. Tony made his entrance and he was grinning from cheek to cheek. "Welcome!" he exclaimed. "This evening marks the *** year of the birth of an idea, the birth of the most peaceful and ever-growing kingdom to have ever grace this world!"

Now, Tony kept speaking but the prince was distracted by all the other faces. Some of them were completely captivated by the dragon's speech, but some were watching with utter disdain. There were so many Eternals in this one single room; Steve was mesmerized by the variety of the forms! Shifters, witches, elves, druids, mutants, centaurs, vampires, ghouls, fairies and let's not forget the satires and nymphs. They were so much to take in! Less than a year ago he was stuck in his tower, back with his parents. Now, he was attending a gathering of Eternals! He didn't know if he should be terrified or über happy. But he felt incredibly lucky to witness such a thing.

Tony was at the end of his speech, "...Please, enjoy your stay in: Resilient!" and he disappeared in a big ball of blue fire. The lights came back on and the music flowed. Everybody was back to chatting amongst themselves.

"Oh dear, oh dear oh dear oh dear," a very distress Pepper was gulping down champagne, "Okay, he did okay. GREAT FAIRY QUEEN! HE DID OKAY!" she was jittery and exuding nervous energy all over the place. The young man was actually afraid she would explode if he touched her, even just for comfort. Fortunately for them, Happy found her. He gave her another glass of champagne and she looked grateful.

"Let's go, Pep," he veered her into the crowd, "The night's not ever yet." he waved a hand at them and disappeared into the frenzy.

/-/-/

Prince Steve was talking with the witch trio when a distant rumbling sound made the whole room silent. Everybody looked up and the ceiling was getting filled with clouds. Miss Maximoff seemed to know what was happening she conjured a pink dome which in globed the four of them. Steve was wondering if Clint was in danger when lightning struck in front of him. He lost his footing it was so powerful. He coughed a few times before the smoke finally cleared. If it wasn't for the scarlet witch's good thinking, he might not be alive. He opened his eyes, the pink globe had disappeared and deep blue ones were staring back at him worryingly.

"Are you alright, good lad?" his voice was a distant ring to Steve's ears. The deep rumble was attached to a big bear with blond fur in Viking battle armor with a velvety red cape. His head was framed by a metallic helmet with wings on it and attached to his belt, was a hammer that Steve knew too well... No way...

The massive bear looked down on himself and chuckled, "Oh, I see," he said. "I apologize," he took his human form and his armor shifted to fit like a glove.

Oh, god. It was Thor, THE Thor, the almighty god of thunder, the bringer of lightning, the son of Odin, father of all Norse Gods...

"Have I missed the presentation of friend Anthony?"

Who was a friend of Tony! The young man was literally star truck, he looked around to see if he was the only one fazed by Thor. Yes, he was truly the only one with huge eyes. Jessica, Carol and Wanda were watching him from above with amused eyes, they helped him get up and he thanked them. All of the others continued talking between them and doing what they were doing before the arrival of the Thunderer.

"You did," Natasha replied to Thor, "But your entrance was way more spectacular than his."

Thor grumbled under his breath, but his face lightened up very quickly. His attention was now fully on Steve, "Are you the good fellow my brethren was talking about? Young Steven Rogers!" he exclaimed, very enthusiastically, "The human who makes Anthony's heart shine brighter than the moon itself! The young man who had brought happiness to my warrior friends by bringing constant challenges!"

"Well, I-" Steve really did not know what to say. Did they think of him that way? Did he deserve this much attention? Natasha tutted at him and adjusted his crooked crown.

"Yeah, that's him," her eyes were soft and her answer sincere. Steve smiled at her and felt very grateful, once again.

"HAHA!" Thor laughed loudly and clapped the young man on the shoulder. That is going to bruise so fast. "You must be a valiant man, Steven! To stay amongst us, unafraid of the unknown! I see what Anthony sees in you!"

Wow... Okay, this was getting quite overwhelming. His knees were getting weak, but lucky for him Tasha held him upright. Thor laughed merrily and, once again, clapped him rather hard on the shoulder.

"Come with me, Steven!" he said, "We must feast, I have brought mead straight from my father's cellar!" from the sound of 'mead', a bunch of Eternals had gathered around their small group.

"Asgardian mead?" a pure blood werewolf duchess asked.

"Straight from Odin's cellar, you say?" an old gentle-elf said.

"Meeead!" a satire exclaimed. A lot of them bunched around Thor's legs.

The thunder god laughed merrily, "There is enough for everyone! Enjoy, my friends! The night has just begun!"

The mead was passed around, but every time it was Steve's turn to grab a glass, somebody else would take it. Nobody seemed to notice; the demon fox was too busy keeping an eye on everybody surrounding them and Thor was too busy pouring mead, laughing. Steve reached for a glass, but it was snagged right in front of his face. He frowned and looked at the culprit: it was an old elven socialite glaring at him. The young man looked around him and he saw a lot of them were glaring at him.

The thing was; Thor's voice had volume to it and with the echo of the Grand Hall, everything was amplified. So now, every single Eternal knew there was a human prince amongst them and every single one of them knew it was Steve. Now that he was paying attention, he could hear some of them:

"Go back to where you come from!"

"Filthy creatures!"

"A human!?" somebody exclaimed with utter disgust.

The young prince got the message: he wasn't welcomed after all. He backed away slowly. Natasha was so preoccupied by the crowd, she didn't see him leave. The three witches were trying to help her and they didn't see him leave, too. Steve went to a far off corner, not even Thor's merry laughter could reach. He sat down and brought his knees up to his chest. He had forgotten the feeling of being rejected. He had forgotten how unpleasant it was to not belong, to be the only one in a crowd of strangers. He wrapped his arms around his legs and dropped his head on his knees, hiding his face. Steve did not cry, but it was close. He hadn't felt this hopeless and alone in such a long time. Tony was always there, in his treasure room, whenever he felt lonely he could just go and see him. The dragon was always successful at making him laugh and showing him the wonders of magic. Bruce was a good friend, too. His shy smiles and amazing cooking skills were so endearing. Clint with his snark and the ever calm and patient Natasha were incredible people, too.

Somebody bumped Steve's shoulder, "Thought you'd need some company," Kate slid down and sat next to him, "You don't seem like a mead kinda guy. Here, take this instead." she handed him a glass of strawberry kiwi juice.

Steve chuckled, "Thanks." They stayed in silence for a while, sipping on their drinks.

"Y'know," the archer started. "You shouldn't let these... Old hags and fat cats bother you. They have nothing on you. You're pretty cool." She punched him on the shoulder amicably.

Steve spent the rest of the night talking with Kate about nothing and everything. Dummy had come and slept under his arm at some point.

When the room started to empty, Steve said good bye to Kate and went for his chambers; he really wanted a hot bath and to lie down in his bed. It had started so well, he met so many good people; they were so very lovely didn't seem to mind him being so... Human. He knew he shouldn't feel this way; the amount of kindness in the people he had interacted with should outweigh the sadness in his gut.

And where was Tony? Beside the whole monologue, he did not see him the entire night. A big dragon like him can't be hard to miss. Pepper said he did good and didn't complain much after. Maybe he could shift size? A smaller version of Tony containing all that energy seemed probable, however unlikely. But he wouldn't be avoiding Steve, would he?

He walked out of his hideout and looked around. The hall was almost empty, but the guests were all walking away through the big door. Some of Tony's golems were shooing the satires out and the nymphs waltzed away. One caressed Steve's cheek on her way out, her touch was cool and calming. The three witches seemed to be waiting for him before they leave. They told him they enjoyed his company and wish to see him again. They bid him goodnight and left.

The food was being carried out by golems. He decided to help them before leaving.

"I must apologize, Steven," Thor had a large hand on the prince's shoulder. "I did not mean to leave you behind. I was truly joyed to have to finally meet you, but I was blinded by everybody else's merriment," he said, with more sadness than Steve thought necessary, but he sounded sincere. "I must make amends. I shall return and the day shall be glorious!" He bellowed. He kneeled in front of the prince and bowed his head. "I should take my leave. May great challenges come your way, young Steven Rogers!"

Steve was getting quite flustered; a god was bowed in front of him. Before he could mumble a nervous reply, the Thunderer disappeared with a crack of lightning. He huffed and continued his way to the tables.

The room was free of guests, now. He could hear the echo of his steps and the panting of some little creations. Steve heard the screeching of Hawky and Clint dropped from the ceiling next to him. He looked Steve right in the eyes and squeezed his shoulder in comfort.

"It's okay, kid," The archer said. "You'll learn to ignore them. Trust me when I say they don't matter."

Steve nodded and they helped clean the place. Natasha and Jarvis came after they secured the doors. Natasha had squeezed his arm in apology, but she didn't have to, it wasn't her fault. They walked through the passageway in amiable silence and it was over before they knew it. They bid each other goodnight and Steve climbed up the stairs to his chambers. He was so exhausted.

He entered his room and walked into a closet, he searched for a small box to put his crown in. He found a small wooden chest with red velvet padding on the inside. The key was inside, if he needed locking. He took the golden jewelry with both his hands and looked at it. It was so beautiful; it was formed with strong golden wires which intertwined with each other like firmaments in the sky. Some peaked over to form the usual pointy tips on a crown. The moonlight made it shine a cold gold instead of a warm gold. If he squinted, he could see the magic shimmer. He put it carefully in the chest and locked it. He hid the key under his pillow and went to the bathroom.

He emerged from the steaming room refreshed and relaxed. He put on his underwear and went into a deep sleep. He deserved it after an evening like this.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have posted chapter 10 and 11 at the same time. The ball is at chapter 10 and it happened a few weeks prior to this chapter's time.

Chapter XI

Today was going to be a great day! Steve could just feel it, he was going to have the best day of his life and he's going to enjoy it until he's exhausted. He bounded down the stairs whistling a song from his people. He marched across the hall and into the kitchen with unmistakable pep to his steps. Clint, Tasha and Bruce were already there enjoying breakfast and talking amiably.

When he crossed the threshold, they stopped and stared at Steve. The prince chose to ignore them and poured himself some juice. The Archer cursed.

"Hey, kid," he started, "What're you humming there?"

"Oh, nothing," Steve said, "It's just a little song from my people; they sing it when they reach another year. I'm just happy I could spend this one with you guys." He smiled to the little group.

"Oh!" Clint cursed under his breath again, "Well, happy birthday, Steve." he said, tensed as the string on his bow.

"Thank you!" Steve said and continued buttering his toast, "I'm looking forward for today's session, Tasha." He smiled at her with his lips full of crumbs.

"Yes, me too," she sighed and patted him clean.

The breakfast went on silently. The conversation they had before Steve's arrival was lost and they just kept staring at the young man. Steve got up and went for his routine run. He saluted them and off he went. He was just so happy he would spend his two decade benchmark with his newly acquired family.

Little did he know, after they were sure he has gone outside, Clint, Tasha and Bruce sprung up from their seats and went in different directions to find suitable presents for Steve.

/-/-/-/

Steve finally came back inside after his hour long run and greetings to the unicorns. They had wished him a happy birthday and pinched him in places he didn't know they could reach. Jarvis was nowhere to be found, though. But he knew if he needed him, he just had to ask through the vines.

He dried himself a bit and drank some water before heading to the gym where he would be training his hand to hand combat skills with the demon fox. He absolutely loved it and what better way for him to learn than through practice. Natasha was the best teacher and she was ever so patient with him. He pushed the door and he saw that she was already there waiting for him. Her arms were crossed over her chest and her expression was downright frightening. He gulped and she smirked. He stood in front of her, in a soldier at rest stance and waited for her instructions. She had instructed him as so at the very beginning, telling him to always adopt that position before the start of a session.

She adjusted her black gloves and expected her black fingernails nonchalantly," I've decided I'm not gonna go easy on you today." she eyed him, her intense emerald eyes glimming. She assumed her stance.

Young Steve smirked and assumed his, "I wouldn't ask for less."

And the training began.

/-/-/-/

Steve hadn't been this breathless and sore in such a long time he had forgotten how it felt like. Boy, she wasn't kidding when she said she wasn't going to go easy on him. But he was happy about today's lesson, even if most of the session was him being thrown face first into the mat.

Steve limped back up the stairs to his room and tried very hard not to whimper at each step. He had a few hours to kill before he had to meet Clint. He decided to take a hot bath to calm his terribly aching muscles.

When his hold body went under the water he could feel the effect almost instantaneously. He sighed so loud, it echoed throughout the bathroom. He soaked there for a while, a warm cloth on his eyes. His arms were dangling out the enormous tub. He wondered what Clint will teach him today. He thought he might not be able to hold up a heavy metal sword for too long. He hoped secretly he'll teach him fencing or how to hide in small places.

Steve didn't linger for too long. He was getting hungry and he needed to get something in his stomach before going to his next training session. He cleaned up, got dressed and went to the kitchen. Bruce was in there, in his two-legged wold form, wearing his white scientist coat. Steve was taller than Bruce when he was human, but the werewolf was a good head taller than him in this form. He was eating an apple and looking around, searching for something.

"Hey, doc," Steve greeted, "Looking for something?" he grabbed himself an apple and cut it into slices. He felt like eating a salad.

The shifter only grunted in reply and mumbled to himself. It sounded like math equations, something out of his field of expertise. The young man didn't mind, Bruce always seemed to be lost in thoughts, just like Tony sometimes. The scientist left not long after that, still mumbling to himself. Steve laughed to himself and continued eating.

/-/-/-/

After his lunch and a few slices of apple for Dummy, he left for the gym again. He entered and searched for the archer. If he was nowhere on the ground, it means he's up there. The young man looked up and saw Clint lounging around, playing with one of his arrows. He saw Steve and dropped down with a soft thud.

"So," the warrior started, wringing his hands, "Are you ready for today's training, kid?" He smirked when Steve picked up a sword from the rack. "Put that back, Steve. Today isn't going to be about swords."

Steve put the sword back and picked up a bow. He wiped his head towards the archer, surprised by his laugh.

"Oh no, kid, put that back, too." Clint said, laughter still in his voice, "Today's lesson's going to be about," he picked up a shield, "Defense. More often than not, your opponent won't have an apparent opening and they might attack you constantly. A shield can help you, but you have to know how to use it properly." He showed how to hold the shield properly and passed it onto Steve. "Okay, so let's start."

/-/-/-/

Today's lesson was quite enlightening; he might actually like using the shield more than the sword.

He was making his way down the hall when a flower called out to him: "Young master Steve," It said, "Could you please come to the stable, I have something for you."

Oh, that's where Jarvis was, Steve didn't see him all day. What could he possibly have for him out there? Was it a birthday present? And how did the elven man know? Maybe he heard through the vines, this morning.

He got outside and the sun was still shining high up in the sky. The sky was cloudless and as blue as it can be. He made his way to the butler slowly, enjoying the fresh breeze on his face and through his hair. When he finally got there, the gentle-elf was standing next to Loretta, Geraldine and Maria outside the stable. The ladies were jittering excitingly; John was trying to call them.

"Calm down!" he said, with an accent similar to the elven butler, "You don't want to ruin the surprise!"

"What surprise?" Steve asked.

The unicorns all jumped in surprised at his question.

Loretta glared at the jet black stallion, "John, look what you did!"

John looked affronted, spluttering about, "How couldj... How dare y... I never...!" he turned his head away from them.

"It's okay, he didn't ruin anything," Steve reassured them, "What is this about?"

Jarvis cleared his throat, "A little flower told me it was your anniversary today." he started walking towards the back of the building, a silent command for Steve to follow him, "I wondered what would be considered appropriate for our young master Steve."

The unicorns were so excited; they kept pushing Steve even when Jarvis stopped. "You didn't have to get me anything. I'm just happy to spend... The day...with..." they stopped pushing him and he stood there, shocked.

A few feet away from him stood a gryphon. It was drinking slowly, its beak completely submerged in the water. Its ears flicked when it heard him gasped. It rose its head slowly and looked Steve right in the eyes, it stood at Steve's height. The black tip of its yellow beak glistened in the sun. Its amber eyes were sticking, conjuring up the dragon's eyes in his mind, somehow. Steve took in the creature's full form and knew exactly which animal its parts were: the avian part was a grey goshawk; the feathers were all white except for a few black tips at the base of its gigantic wings. The other half was of a snow leopard, its darkish grey ears stood up, curious by the human in front of it. The big fluffy tail swung lazily behind it. Steve had dreamt of this moment for almost all his young life.

Steve brought up a hand slowly, but the gryphon still jerked back by surprise. Their trust was hard to earn. But when it happens, it's for life.

"Hey, I'm not gonna heard you," Steve brought up his hand again, but this time it just look at his open palm. "See?" he scratched behind the ear and it calmed down. She was silently pleased with the scratching. The young man chuckled.

"It's going to reside with the unicorns," Jarvis said. "But you can take it wherever you want."

"You should give it a name," John said and they all acquiesced.

Steve was still petting the creature, it was relaxing gradually and leaning slowly towards his hand, its eyes closed. "What should I name you..." he whispered.

It opened its eyes and frowned deeply at the young prince. It jerked its head away, looking insulted. Steve did not know what just happened.

"I have a name, thank you very much!" It said, with a feminine voice with Jarvis' and John's accent.

Steve was surprised by the feistiness of her voice. "Uh..." he was back to gaping again.

"Name's Margaret, and don't wear it out!" She raised her head and sniffed at him. The others were silently laughing at Steve.

"Well, hi there, Margaret," Steve greeted.

She frowned at him, "On second thought, call me Peggy. Only my mom gets to call me Margaret." she said.

This was going to be the beginning of a great friendship.

"Well, Peggy," he thrust a hand towards her. She eyed it, intrigued, "It's nice to meet you and I hope we get to have a lot of adventures together." he grinned at her.

She lifted her eyes to meet his. She scrutinized him for a few moment, Steve did not budge one bit. Her eyes crinkled, her beak couldn't move that way but she was smiling. She raised her front talon to put on the young man's hand. Steve grabbed it and shook it once but still kept it in his hand.

"Well, we'll leave you two to chat," Jarvis said and gathered the unicorns. The ladies whined, but they followed anyway.

/-/-/-/

It was getting dark outside when he finally go back. He was still grinning when he crossed the threshold. He was still giddy from his talk with Peggy; she was marvelous and beautiful in every way. She let him examine her whole body and wingspan. She even let him test his weight when he was seated on her back. She told him she could take him perfectly well; just let a chick she had said, smugly. She wasn't worried one bit when he mentioned the saddle, told him she was ready for it. They kept talking even when the sky turned a shade of orange and pink.

Needless to say, they got along perfectly.

He was walking towards the kitchen to find something to eat, his stomach was grumbling terribly. Later, he'll go see Tony to end the day on a good note.

When the kitchen was in view, he saw that the whole room was plunged into darkness. It's never pitch black in there. Torches were always lit; full force or dimly. Steve crept slowly towards the darkness, careful of his steps. Even when he was standing at the doorway, he couldn't see a thing.

He grabbed a vine, "Jarvis, can you light the kitchen, please?"

Three small flames appeared. Steve screeched in surprised, that was not what he thought would happen. They danced a bit and lit up a few candles on a cake. The cake levitated and illuminated the face behind it. Natasha was grinning devilishly and the flames danced around the heads of Clint, Jarvis and Bruce. The latter was back in his human form and he wasn't wearing his white coat. They were all smiling at Steve, even Jarvis.

"Surprise!" they said in unison.

The young man felt his stomach swoop; he did not know what to say. He's friends were standing around the island with Natasha standing at the center with the cake in her hands. Steve felt his eyes tear up but he turned his head away to hide them.

"You guys really didn't have to do this," he said.

"We really do," Clint retorted, "We're family now!"

"We really didn't expect for it to be your birthday today," Bruce said, "I baked you a cake to make up for it." He scratched the back of his head.

"Thank you," he whispered.

They sang him the birthday song of his people and they cut the cake.

/-/-/-/-/

The cake was truly delicious. They all talked and laughed during the meal and it was perfect. He couldn't ask for anything more. But Tony was left on his list of friends.

He walked up to the hidden passage with a slice of his cake. The dragon had to taste it, it was a piece of heaven. The room was lit in all its glory and the gold was shinier than ever. Tony was lounging lazily on his side, not looking at the door.

"You gotta taste this," Steve said.

Tony jumped like a cat after it had fallen into the water. He clutched his orb and glared at the young prince, breathing heavily.

"Nearly gave me a heart attack, Steve," he said. He composed himself and sat in front of Steve, "You were saying?"

"You have to try this," Steve said, laughter in his voice. It didn't go unnoticed and the dragon glared at him again. "Bruce baked me a cake and it's absolutely scrumptious. Sorry if it isn't dragon size." and he left the plate in front on a handle of the throne.

The giant lizard batted a hand dismissively, "It's okay, thanks." he waited until Steve was seated before continuing, "So, it's your birthday. Happy Birthday." he didn't wait for Steve's reply, he barged through. "I know they all gave you amazing gifts. Damn you, Jarvis. But I didn't forget. I didn't have to rake my brain to give you the best gift; I knew exactly what to give you. So, y'know," he gesticulate to himself, "I'm a dragon and all and I'm a huge one at that thank you very much. So because of that, I can't always be with you and I know, I know, I light up the whole room with my charisma and they always need me everywhere..."

While he was speaking, a golden bracelet floated toward Steve. He took it in his hands and inspected it. It was made of pure gold and it was bit heavy, intricate symbols were imprinted on the precious metal. It was slowly pulsing a soothing rhythm. He put it on his left wrist and it shrunk to fit it. It was warm and it felt almost alive. Tony had halted to a stop when he put it on. The prince looked up at the dragon and he was looking back at him. His eyes filled with something Steve couldn't place.

"Ookay," he continued, "That bracelet is of my own design, it was forged with my fire and so my incense was poured into it. It's like a portable piece of me. Take good care of it. There's nothing like it in the entire universe."

Steve eyed the bracelet. The figured out the rhythm: it was Tony's heartbeat. Tony had given him a piece of his heart. Steve ran his finger slowly on the bracelet.

"Thank you, Tony," Steve murmured, "You... I..."

"Well, don't mention it." Tony barged in.

They kept staring at each other, having nothing to say. Tony lowered his gaze first and brought a hand to the back of his hand. "You're worth it."

It was nothing but a whisper, but Steve heard it. Steve cleared his throat and started a conversation. The cake slice went untouched.

/-/-/-/

Steve walked up the stairs to his room. He was still playing with the golden band. He couldn't believe what Tony had given him; it was something so intimate. Pepper was standing in the kitchen when he emerged back. She saw Tony's gift and smiled fondly at him.

His birthday was the best day of his life. He learned so much today and he acquired a new friend. He ate the best cake in the world and he got the most precious gift anybody could give him. All of that with the best friends he had.

He went to the bathroom to clean himself before going to sleep. He moved to get the bracelet off, but thought better of it and kept it on. Like the dragon said, it's like he was in the room with him.

When he came out of the bathroom, he saw flashes of light from his windows. He walked to them and they were fireworks, splashes of red, white and blue colored the night sky. He squinted and saw a black shadow flying around the display of light. Tony was the one making them. Steve's heart clenched and he was moved beyond words.

He watched them for who knows how long before he decide to slip under the covers, the rhythm of Tony's heartbeat lulling him to sleep.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ;)

Chapter XII

Something shifted, he could feel it.

Steve was preparing for his morning run when Tony's voice came out of a flower: “Hey! So yeah, Kid. Could you come down? It's just... Yeah."

The prince stared at the plant, shocked. Tony never called him; he didn't even know Tony could use that. He didn't think much of it and went on with his gears. He went down the stairs and walked straight into Tony's treasure hall. It was lit in all its glory and Tony as usual was lounging about, at least that wasn't strange. He was rumbling and breathing deeply signaling his deep sleep. Steve knew better, he could feel the giant lizard's racing heartbeat through the bracelet. Something was wrong and he wanted to know. He cleared his throat and the dragon turned languidly toward him. It cemented the fact that he was hiding something; he always woke up with a start whenever they woke him up. Steve knew it was for show, but it still made his heart pace faster.

"Is something wrong, Tony?" Straight to the point.

Tony tensed up for a second but the prince saw it. The dragon scratched behind his huge smooth black horns. He tried too hard to be nonchalant. He puffed out black smoke.

"I was just wondering if you knew where Dummy was," he said, "That brat took something and I want it back."

Tony never asked about the little golem, "Well, maybe he's helping Bruce with his experiments or running with the unicorns or..." he heard a familiar bark in the vicinity of the dragon, "right behind you."

Tony turned, faux-surprised, what in the world? Dummy, what are you doing here?!"

The golem whined, all accusatory and left, leaving trail of brown feathers behind him. Steve turned back to Tony and crossed his arms.

“So, Tony,” he said, “What is going on here?”

They stared at each other, none of them wanting to break the contact; Steve, silent and stoic while Tony was fidgeting and restless, icy blue eyes against fiery amber ones. The room was drenched with silence, the tension was palpable. 

Tony broke first. Steve sighed.  


“If that’s what it is,” Steve left to have his morning run.  


As he closed the secret door, he heard Tony’s groan.

\--  


After his run, he went to practice his flying manoeuvres with Peggy. They were getting better at it. He wasn’t in danger of falling anymore and she stopped laughing at him after the tenth time. They did tricks and played in the clouds. They cruised and had fun. They flew at high speed with Hawky following close behind. They practised on the ground, too. While Clint was on one of the unicorns (Geraldine was his favorite), they target practised, trained their agility and strengthen their bond. They had such fun these days.

Today, they decided to just stay amongst the clouds, flying in and out, looping around and flying upside down.

“What’s the matter, Stevie?” Peggy asked. In the month she was here, she knew what each Steve expressions meant.

“Tony,” he said, “He was being all… weird.” He finished, lamely.

She made a lazy loop, “Well, that’s Tony for you.” She chuckled.

“It’s not just that,” he touched the golden band around his wrist, “His heart’s been pulsing madly since this morning.”

“We all know it beats just for you, Stevie,” she said.

“Peggy!” he admonished, he’s face gaining heat. “You know what I meant.”

“Yeah yeah,” she sighed, “Let’s go home.” She turned back and the castle was in view again.

They went back to the castle and for the rest of the morning and the best part of his afternoon he was training, helping Bruce or playing with the golems. It was pretty busy by Steve’s standards.

\--  


He was walking back to the kitchen to catch his breath after running to get back his blue pencil from Dummy, and a few other golems. He needed that pencil; it was the exact shade of Tony’s blue flames. He got it in the end and he wasn’t in a bad humor; they were having such fun, even though they usually don’t do that.

He was biting into his second sandwich when Jarvis came into the room. He was looking very grave and Steve did not like that look.

The elven man cleared his throat, “Would you please follow me, Master Steve,” he then turned, always knowing the prince would follow.

They walked across the hall of rooms and straight to the staircase leading up to the young man’s room. They were both silent, Steve not daring to ask any question. When they arrived at the door to his room, Jarvis grabbed the doorknob. Instead of pushing the door open, he moved the doorknob downward and slid the door up. Steve stared at the new staircase in front of him, his mouth hanging open. What if he slid the doorknob in another direction? Will it turn into something else? Did every door in the castle do the same? He wanted to try every door!

Jarvis cleared his throat and signaled the prince to follow him. The butler grabbed a torch and clicked his fingers, lighting a flame on the torch. They, once again, walked up the staircase in silence. They arrived at the end, a trapdoor was visible. Jarvis passed the torch to Steve so he could use both his hands to open the latch. They were greeted by the afternoon sun; they were on the top of the tower. It was circular and empty except for the trapdoor. He finally figured out how Hawkeye and Black Widow got to the top. He always thought they climbed the vines at high-speed or Hawky transported Clint or something. Well, mystery solved.

Steve looked around while Jarvis stood silently behind. Steve looked at him, “Why did you bring me here?” he asked.

En guise of answer, he heard wings flapping. Like, the night at his old home, a very long time ago. He turned around and Tony was there, in the air, looking at him. He had that intense look in his eyes that made his eyes burn bright. His nostrils were letting out small flames, proof of his livelihood. The wind made Steve’s hair blow wildly. He had to squint his eyes it was so strong. He used his arm to block the sun from his view. He saw Tony’s orb swirl with an undetermined blue, he was conflicted and the prince did not know why. He felt the bracelet pick up in pace.

“What’s going on?” the young man asked, “What’s the matter, Tony?”

Tony didn’t say anything. He perched himself on the side of the tower; his body was too big for the roof. He stopped making small flames and his breathing was regular, but the bracelet didn’t stop the maddening beat.

This time, the prince was the one to break contact, “You can tell me everything,” he said, “I’m here for you.” He whispered.  
“Steve,” Tony finally said.

The dragon said his name in a way the prince never heard before. It was so intimate, yet so loud, so short, yet so full. It was so full of something he never thought in a million years he would hear. Steve looked up and the dragon’s eyes were so soft. Tony extended his arm towards him.

“Let’s go,” he said.

Steve didn’t hesitant to climb onto his hand and jump onto his back. He was seated at the junction of the dragon’s neck and wings. The spikes adorning his spine were flexible so it didn’t hurt him. Steve moved his hand up and down his long scaly neck. It felt smooth to the touch; the scales were shiny and beautiful, light reflected on his skin and clothes, it was glorious. Steve, then, touched the muscles that the shoulder of his wings; they were thick and Tony felt powerful underneath his fingers. Steve heard the lizard’s chuckle, he felt the vibrations, too; it moved between his legs up to his heart. He looked up at Tony with his eyes opened wide. The dragon was smiling.

“Ready for take-off?” he asked but didn’t wait for an answer. He twisted backwards and off they went. The last thing Steve saw was Jarvis’ smile.

Tony spun fast on himself, so fast Steve couldn’t raise his head to see. He was like an arrow, striking the clouds at an amazing speed. Tony finally stopped and Steve could now sit properly. The sky was still a light blue and the clouds were sparse. The weather wasn’t bad and the breeze was perfect. The prince looked at the stretched membranes of Tony’s wings; he could see the veins, they looked so frail but they were so strong, supporting a giant beast. The muscles were shifting in a beautiful way every time he flapped his wings. Steve was mesmerized by every movement he made. He could feel Peggy’s muscles move, but he couldn’t see it because of her thick snow leopard coat. But Tony was huge and mostly scaly, all slick and black.

Tony roared and then, whooped very loudly. It was something so very him. Steve touched the band again, it was still beating fast, but Steve could see it was out of excitement and not nervousness. He whooped too. They were sailing the skies and nobody could touch them.

The sun was setting and the gryphon had joined them. The sky was shifting slowly to orange and stars already started to peek out. They were flying lazily and looping around.

Tony turned his neck to look at Steve, “Let’s go ho--” he was interrupted by a huge thump. Tony shook and his eyes went wide.

“TONY,” Peggy shrieked.

“Tony?” Steve asked, panicked.

They started losing altitude, fast. Smoke was flying from under the dragon. Tony was dropping so fast, Steve couldn’t hold on anymore. He lost his grip and floated in the air. Time seemed to slow down; Peggy’s distressed screams were slow and his movement were sluggish. His struggle to grab onto Tony was near impossible. Tony turned around, his belly side up. Steve gasped, tears spilling from his eyes. Below Tony’s orb was a giant flaming hole. It had singed his skin and thick black smoke was emanating from it.

“Steve,” he whimpered, broken. He grabbed Steve in his hands and brought him close to his orb. He closed his wings and the world collapsed.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapter :c

Chapter XIII

He lost track of time. He was on his knees, bound to a stone-cold wall with his arms behind his back, in heavy chains. They left him in only his pants, but it did nothing to hide how bare he felt. They'd put a sack loosely over his head. But even there, he knew the room was dark, so dark. The only warmth available was his breath on the fabric. The only sound he could hear was the slow dripping of cold dirty water. The only company he had was rats scurrying away.

Sometimes, they came; to force feed him stale bread or pour ice-cold water over him to wake him up. He never slept, but collapsed from exhaustion. They came and they went, chuckling at his misfortune. Sometimes, he heard voices behind the entrance to his cell. Talks about "corruption", "mind manipulation" and "thralls". He knew it was about him, but he also knew he was never manipulated. He stayed at the castle by his own will. He also knew his captors were human.

Sometimes, he heard heels clicking behind the walls. The door was always yanked open and his cover the same. His eyes were unable to adjust to the light but he knew sometimes women would come and look at him, touch his bare chest, run their hands in his hair, look at his physical form. He knew, then, he was going to be sold as a slave.

He always fought against his chains, no matter how bone deep his exhaustion was. He growled, struggled or talked smack at the potential buyers. They always left, disappointed; nobody wanted a misbehaving and disobedient slave.

Then, always after they left, a man would come- different every time. They would yank him and he would scream; they always forgot he was chained. They grunted and dragged him out of the room and into another, colder, sinister one. They would pull the sack of his head and forced his head under water, almost to the point of drowning. The water was so cold, numbing all his senses. They would ask him about where the beast was. Where was the treasure? How could they access the castle?

He would never tell. He spat water on their faces, glared at them. They grabbed him by the hair and slapped him hard multiple times. Sometimes, they whipped him and sometimes they just beat him down. After several undetermined hours, they would put him back into his prison. He would never give up, as long as the golden band kept pulsing that soothing rhythm of his heart, Tony's heart.

Oh, Tony...  
\---

They crashed.

Steve regained consciousness when Tony opened his fingers.

"Steve? Steve! Damn it, hatchling, get up," a familiar voice said.

It was Peggy. The gryphon was prying open the dragon's fingers. Steve got up quickly, letting her drag him off the dragon. But as soon as he touched the ground, he rushed back to Tony's side; his orb wasn't swirling nor emitting any light. It was dark, so dark. The prince's bracelet wasn't pulsing, too. He moved close to the wound; it was still smoking and hot. He cast his eyes away, not wanting to see it. He jostled the dragon the best he could.

"Come on, you stupid black blob," he cried, "We have to get back, Clint's gonna eat everything! You know he can!" he choked back his sobs.

Peggy got up on Tony and tried to wake him up, too; she jumped, pecked and scratched but nothing worked. Steve didn't want it to end like this, it can't end like this. They were going to live a happy left and he was going to die a happy man.

He stopped pounding on Tony and moved to his lifeless blue orb. He rest his head there and cried, letting everything out. Peggy came down and sat beside him, squawking miserably.

"Tony..." he started, "Tony, I--" he was interrupted by a blinding light behind his eyelids. He opened his eyes and his bracelet let out a weak pulse followed by a very slow but steady beat. Steve gasped when the dragon shifted.

"Draconis..." Tony grunted, "Don't let Clint eat my food."

Steve laughed, he was so happy, he couldn't do anything but laugh. His happiness was short-lived, behind the trees and bushes, he heard rustling. Out of nowhere flaming arrows flew straight into Tony's wound. He screeched in pain and scrambled madly, cocooning himself with his wings. Peggy was on alert, she scanned the environment, danger screamed from her every movement.

Five men came out and attacked them. Steve put his training to good use; one of them ran up to Steve, spear straight and round shield protecting him. He dodged the pointy tip and grabbed the wooden handle. He yanked the man closer knocked him out with a strong punch to the face. He threw the spear on the ground and took the round wooden shield. The other men were are gathered around Tony, all the dragon could do was produce black smoke to confuse them. Peggy would grab one or two at a time and fly high to tend drop them into the woods. When she would come back the flaps of her wings would create a clearing and Steve could see the assailants. He ran into the fray and rammed into the back of the man with the shield, he grunted and turned around but Steve head-butted him and he fell on the ground. Another one charged at him from the side, he barely dodged the spear. He rammed the rim of the shield onto the man's face, Steve heard the crunch of his nose.

Another successfully grabbed Steve from behind, making him drop the shield. The young man roared but another one put a bag on his head. He heard a loud screech and the person in front of him yelled, it faded and Steve heard a faraway thud. The one holding Steve loosen his hold, surprised by the demise of his friend. The prince jabbed him with his elbow and stomp on his foot. The groaned and let go. Steve moved away face and yanked the bag off.

"Tony!" Steve called in the thickness of the smoke.

He heard a low groan and ran to it as fast as he could. Someone tackled him to the ground, knocking his head hard. He screamed in pain but tried to get up, but someone kicked him on the cheek and he was out cold.

\---

The brute of the day was banging on the bars and laughing at Steve, successfully taking him out of his reveries.

"Oye, ya pig," the guard spat, "Got yerself a new visitor, might be yer lucky day." he chortled.

Steve didn't give a damn about the new 'buyer'; his friends were coming, he was going to be rescued. Clint was going to shoot an arrow in the eye of each guard and Tasha was going to send them all to hell, literally. To finish it off, Tony was going to trash the place in all his dragon glory.

"Oye!" the below average guard yelled, "I was talkin' to ya!"

"Sorry," Steve said, fighting over a dry throat. The other man laughed, "I don't understand stupid."

"Why ya little piece of --," he growled.

"Shut up and open the damn door," another voice ordered.

He opened the wooden door to Steve's prison. The young man tried backing away the best he could, showing defiance.

"Look at 'im," the salesman said, "A fine specimen, ain't he? Big and strong!" he poked Steve on the stomach, hard. Steve roared, "Strong-willed, too! They don't come like this anymore!"

This time, the client was male. From the agreeable sound he made, he seemed familiar, but Steve couldn't place him.

"Let's see him," the client finally said.

The captor yanked the bag like he was a surprise. Steve hissed from the light and quickly turned his head away. The salesman was having none of it, and took him by the chin to lift his head. The young man fought, but he was too exhausted. The other man gasped.

"Steve?" he said, surprise and wonder in his tone.

Steve glared at the man through slanted eyes, but they got wider the longer he stared.

"Dad?"

**Author's Note:**

> This is also on FF.net
> 
> Some feedback, please! I read them all!


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